Demar DeRozan scored 37 points and the Toronto Raptors ended the Utah Jazz’s five-game home winning streak, defeating them 109-100 in a physical game on Friday night.
Offense falls back to earth
This Utah Jazz team has been desperate to find consistent scoring options all season long. The Jazz, however, saw flashes of offensive brilliance from a pair of unlikely sources in three straight home wins. “Pass first” point guard Ricky Rubio and rookie Donovan Mitchell transformed into offensive weapons over the three-game stretch. Unfortunately, the offense returned to its shot-making reliance again on Friday night. And Utah’s looks were not falling.
While the Jazz ended the night on 43 percent shooting from the floor and reached 100 points for the third straight game, the streakiness of their offense and inability to create easy looks was disheartening.
Mitchell was one of the few bright spots for Utah’s offensive attack. He finished the game with 25 points, including a spectacular end to the third quarter which saw him score 12 of Utah’s final 14 points of the period. Mitchell’s recent offensive successes are exciting, but do the Jazz really want their best offensive option to be their rookie taking 20+ shots per night?
Rubio had a reality check tonight, scoring 12 points on just 3-of-12 shooting and 0-of-4 from beyond the arc. After a strong first half from Rudy Gobert, the Toronto Raptors took away easy looks in the paint for the Jazz and forced them to make outside shots. Credit the Raptors coaching staff and defense for making adjustments.
Utah also struggled with converting turnovers into easy buckets. On multiple occasions, after forcing a Toronto turnover, the Jazz immediately gave the ball right back to the Raptors. For a team struggling to get easy looks, the Jazz need to get better at converting in transition.
Overall, Toronto simply seemed to out “Jazz” the Jazz. They used physical interior defense and a deep bench to get the job done on the road.
#TORatUTA // Highlights 🎥 https://t.co/uHzYdTysxJ
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) November 4, 2017
Live and die by the third quarter
In what is becoming a theme for this Jazz squad, the opening minutes of the third quarter seemed to determine the direction of the remainder of the game.
Despite going into the half with a 54-53 led, it seemed as though the Jazz were being outplayed.
What kept them in the game up until that point was their ability to get to the line. The Jazz were 15-of-16 from the free throw line after two quarters. The Jazz also did an excellent job of getting Rudy Gobert going offensively in the first half. Rudy had twelve points, six rebounds and two blocks at the break.
This seemed like a night where the Jazz would do just enough to keep it close before their smothering defense would take over and help them pull away late.
Instead, the Raptors were the aggressors out of the half. The third quarter saw the Raptors go 9-of-11 from the line, while the Jazz were just 1-of-1.
Despite Mitchell’s electric end to the third quarter, Demar DeRozan added 17 points of own his own in the quarter alone. The Raptors also shot 7-of-10 from beyond the arc to take an 89-82 lead into the final period.
There seems to be an increasingly obvious correlation between the way the Jazz come out of halftime and how they perform over the final two periods. This could be good or bad, but it is something Coach Snyder and the Jazz need to figure out sooner rather than later.
Can Rodney Hood really be “the guy”?
Rodney Hood went 0-of-11 from the field in Utah’s thrilling overtime win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night. Quin Snyder elected to leave him on the bench during the final stretch of the game.
While it seemed to be the right call and the Jaz got the win, I expected Rodney to come out against the Raptors and remind us all why he deserves to be the Jazz primary scoring option this season and going forward.
Hood started the game being extremely aggressive (which was refreshing to see), however, his inconsistent scoring and inability to truly create easy looks for himself was evident throughout the night. He finished the night with 17 points, however, he only shot 6-of-19 from the floor. He was scoreless in the fourth quarter.
Rodney Hood's last made shot was with 6:24 left in the 3rd quarter. He went scoreless for the rest of the game.
— SLC Dunk (@slcdunk) November 4, 2017
The Jazz desperately need Hood to be “the guy”. There have been stretches this season that he has proven worthy of the task, however, inconsistency has plagued Hood’s game all season. With an explosive rookie scoring 20+ points per night off the bench, Hood may need to find his groove ASAP.
Whats next for the Jazz?
The Jazz head back out on the road Sunday to face an explosive Houston Rockets squad. Houston currently sits at second overall in the Western Conference at 7-3.
The Jazz are winless on the road so far this season with an 0-3 record away from Vivint Smart Home Arena.
The Rockets present a unique challenge for the Jazz defense. Look for Coach Snyder to have his team ready to get their first road win of the season and a statement win for a Jazz team still struggling to find its groove.
Next: Utah Jazz vs. Toronto Raptors: Keys to remain undefeated at home
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