An argument can be made that Utah's five-point victory over Dallas on Friday night was its biggest win of the season.
It came at the start of the second half of the season against one of the better teams in the league, how the Jazz took care of business did a lot to quiet the chatter around the league.
Rumblings about Utah's inability to play small — primarily have all-star big man Rudy Gobert defend on the perimeter — reached deafening levels following their loss to the Lakers before the all-star break. Despite holding a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter, the Jazz crumbled over the final six minutes as struggles on defense and a lack of execution on offense led to the defeat.
"When the game did get close, I thought that we could've done more together in execution situations," head coach Quin Snyder said after the loss to the Lakers. "It's not effort, it's mental focus. … It's treating every possession as important. Our offense hurt our defense. … We didn't execute and it gave them life."
"It's treating every possession as important. … We didn't execute and it gave them life."
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 17, 2022
That's what makes the win over the Mavericks so compelling — it was a complete turnaround prior to what had taken place in Utah's most recent game.
Going against one of the premier defenses in the league and arguably the best clutch shooter in the game, the Jazz found themselves trailing by two late in the fourth quarter following Luka Doncic's three-pointer.
But what happened the rest of the game was nothing short of basketball poetry.
Gobert was dominant on the defensive end, mainly when switched out on Doncic and guarding him at the perimeter. He helped limit the all-NBA guard to 0-for-5 from the floor, including a block on a clutch drive that would've given Dallas the lead.
"He (Luka) knows I'm trying to take away his stepback," he said. "Then he's driving and I know he's going to try to use my body and then stop, so I've got to stay balanced and absorb the contact. Then he's going to try and get me in the air, so I've got to stay down."
LOUD NOISES pic.twitter.com/OTZxwaET3D
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 26, 2022
More than just Gobert's defense, the offense was in rhythm. Donovan Mitchell served as catalyst and playmaker, not taking a single shot but directing the offense in ways that took advantage of mismatches.
Over the final three minutes, Utah shot 3-for-5, 2-of-2 from the free throw line, and had no turnovers. Likewise, Dallas went 1-for-7 from the field with a turnover.
"This was a significant win for us," Snyder said. "I thought, particularly with those two guys (Mitchell and Gobert), what we saw from them, just the sacrifices that all of our guys made at various times in the game for the greater good. … I was really happy with our effort against a team that's as good as anybody in the league right now."
goodnight, jazz fans
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 26, 2022
Utah has now won seven of its past eight games — including victories over Denver, Brooklyn, Golden State, and Dallas — too firmly put itself in the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference. But now the Jazz have the opportunity to continue to climb those rankings when it heads out on a five-game road trip — something they have struggled with as of late.
After having started the season dominant on the road with a 15-6 record, Utah is currently on a six-game losing streak away from Vivint Arena.
Make no mistake, the trip won't be easy as they'll meet the league-leading Phoenix Suns on Sunday before wrapping up with this same Mavericks team on March 7. But these are all winnable games, especially considering the Suns are without all-star point guard Chris Paul and Utah is now 2-0 against Dallas this season.
In between those matchups, the Jazz will face Houston, New Orleans, and Oklahoma City, three teams ranked in the bottom four of the Western Conference standings.
The way Utah played on Friday night, it would not be shocking to see this team go at least 4-1 on the road trip, which could signify to the rest of the league that the Jazz are back and rolling after a rough start.
"It felt really good," Mitchell said. "When you narrow it down, we did what we were supposed to do. That's how we need to look at it."
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Utah Now Turns Its Attention To Five-Game Road Trip | Utah Jazz - UtahJazz.com
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