The Utah Jazz have taken advantage of a soft portion of their schedule and have rattled off 11 wins in their last 12 games, including six straight wins. After dealing Dante Exum for Jordan Clarkson, cutting Jeff Green, adding Rayjon Tucker and moving Georges Niang and Tony Bradley more prominently into the rotation, the Jazz are on a roll — even without starting point guard Mike Conley.
After their impressive stretch, the Jazz have moved up in various NBA power rankings, released on Monday. Here’s where they stand:
“The Jazz have won 10 of their last 11 games and are tied in the loss column with the fourth-place Clippers (who they’ve beat twice). Their first five-game winning streak was their best stretch of offense (115.2 points scored per 100 possessions) to date, and their current five-game winning streak, with Donovan Mitchell averaging 27.4 points on an effective field goal percentage of 64%, has been even better (117.8 per 100). Their starting lineup has been generally strong (the Jazz have the two lineups that have played 200 minutes and outscored opponents by at least 15 points per 100 possessions) and when it had a rough first half (minus-14 in less than seven minutes) in Chicago on Thursday, the Jazz got some good minutes from their new bench. That victory gave them more wins in games that were within five points in the last five minutes (they’re 16-6) than they had all of last season (15-18). The Jazz are undefeated with Jordan Clarkson and they’ll continue to have a soft schedule for the next two weeks, though their next two opponents have been playing their best basketball of the season,” writes NBA.com’s John Schuhmann.
“A series of favorable matchups has the Jazz rolling, winners of nine of their last 10 games. They’ve found a familiar formula with Donovan Mitchell playing more point guard and Joe Ingles picking up additional playmaking duties with Mike Conley out. They’re also knocking on the door of the top five in defensive efficiency after a slow start to the season on that end,” writes CBS’s Colin Ward-Henninger.
“The Jazz have won five straight games, and if you are looking for a player primarily responsible, look no further than Donovan Mitchell. During Utah’s five-game run, Mitchell is averaging 26.3 points, 4.3 boards, 6.5 assists, and 2.5 treys while shooting 54% from the floor, 42% from downtown and 86 from the stripe. The Jazz wraps up a three-game road trip Monday in New Orleans,” writes Yahoo’s Tommy Beer.
“The Jazz are rolling through a soft stretch of schedule, winning 10 of the past 11 games with only one victory in that span over a team that is above .500. Utah’s next seven opponents all have losing records, too. The Jazz starting lineup, minus Mike Conley as he continues to nurse his nagging hamstring strain, has outscored opponents by 126 points over those 11 games,” writes ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.
“So this is the Jazz we’ve been expecting. Utah is cruising with 10 wins in its last 11 games, fueled in large part by Donavan Mitchell. The third-year guard is averaging 26.2 points and six assists since Dec. 11, and he’s seized point guard duties with Mike Conley out of the lineup. Point Mitchell may be the best route forward for Utah, creating a sticky situation in its backcourt,” writes SI’s Michael Shapiro.
Other links...
Ranking all 130 college football offensive line situations (Pro Football Focus)
NBA trade deadline lists: Targets, draft capital, big questions (ESPN+)
Four-star cornerback and Ute signee Clark Phillips is on campus
And finally...
Derrick Favors looks on as the Jazz celebrate the win over the Pelicans
When the teacher lets the whole class go to recess except you pic.twitter.com/YNpFHgsh2X
— taylor griffin (@griffdunk) January 7, 2020