4th round push gives Utah victory over Sacramento

Utah did exactly what good teams are supposed to do in close games.

Jazz cut the score, passed more to find the opener and played tenacious defense.

After Sacramento beat Utah to a four-goal lead early in the fourth half, the Jazz responded with a 12-0 win and eventual victory – a 123-105 win over Sacramento on Saturday night.

“I think we communicated well during the game.… I don’t know what the counter-attacks were but we didn’t give up much,” head coach Quin Snyder said after the game. “I think, for the most part, our guards did a great job defending. … And you know, if we can do that, we can really commit to running. “

| Rudy with another double, Spida with another big goal + another W team #podiumpostgame | @podiumhq pic.twitter.com/GLXzcGkZeq

– Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) November 21, 2021

Sacramento did all it could to slow the Jazz early in the final quarter, but nothing worked – literally.

After the 10-0 run, the TV timed out. Usually a 2-3 minute break, this game shutdown lasted a full 15 minutes as a fan sitting on the side of the pitch vomited on the floor several times, delaying cleaning and sanitizing. .

“Give a shout out to the cleaning crew because I definitely won’t clean it.… That’s probably going to be there for a long time,” Jordan Clarkson said with a laugh. “At that point, we were just flying and a bit tired. … So they helped us out a little bit, got our breath back.”

Even the delay wasn’t enough to slow Utah, as they picked up 39 points in the fourth inning and extended its lead to 21 on many occasions. It’s the kind of closing performance you’d expect from a veteran team that isn’t easily shaken, especially with four players scoring at least five points in the quarter.

Snyder said: “I think we did a really good job of keeping our focus the whole time it happened, which is certainly odd. “Sometimes we have to be willing to give our lives for each other, just play each other. And when we do that, whether there’s a pass or no pass, you know, we can be really effective. fruit.”

In what became the theme of the Jazz at the start of the season, it was once again a victory for the team. Six players have scored in double numbers, the tempo is Donovan Mitchell’s 26-point high and Rudy Gobert’s 21-point, 14 rebound.

Donovan overtakes Jeff Hornacek at 13th on Jazz’s all-time scorers list #TakeNote | @ZionsBank pic.twitter.com/Bpv9HQqKm0

– Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) November 21, 2021

After taking just four shots on Thursday against Toronto, Mike Conley started the game. He dropped eight points early on his way to 17 for the game. He shoots 7 to 10 from the floor and 3/4 from outside the arc, adding two assists.

“Mike is playing right,” Gobert said. “He’s going to read what the defense gives him and then take advantage of that. When he’s playing, we want him to be aggressive and find his shot first. … He’s real. wonderful.”

Sacramento took the field hotly, taking a quick 5-0 lead. Then Conley started cooking, answering with eight straight points for Jazz to make it a one-point game. After The Kings regained the lead, Utah responded with a 12-4 win on the lead by one point after the first inning.

Reached 12 points in the quarter for @ mconley11 #TakeNote pic.twitter.com/VO9USmooQr

– Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) November 21, 2021

The Kings regained the lead after a floating Tyrese Haliburton midway through the second half, but the Jazz hit back once again. Utah started with Joe Ingles’ three-pointer, hitting three straight from outside the arc to start a 13-0 run. But Sacramento responded and cut the deficit as the Jazz led 54-49 at half-time.

The third round was like a heavyweight game, with every attack but no retreat, leading to a 4-point advantage for the Jazz as they entered the final 12 minutes.

| “They can come out and easily close that gap and destroy our momentum.”#WalkoffInterview | @lhmauto pic.twitter.com/p41tuC2j19

– Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) November 21, 2021

It looks like Utah is coming out of the early season shooting game. They shot 50% from the field and 40% from outside the arc for the third game in a row – all wins.

But the best part of the winning streak came at the other end of the field.

Utah is dominant in defense, keeping opponents below 45% when shooting and 33% within 3 points. They also outscored their opponents 14 in that span, winning attack recovery battles and points in the transition.

On Monday night, the Jazz returned home for a 2021 playoff rematch against Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies. Tipoff is booked at 7pm