Utah Jazz at Brooklyn Nets: Keys to FINALLY getting a road win? Maybe?!

Key #1 – Play for a full 48 minutes

In Wednesday’s loss to the New York Knicks, the Jazz looked absolutely phenomenal for the better part of two and a half quarters. They led by as much as 12 in the second half and truly looked to be in the driver’s seat for the majority of the contest. They even strung together two 30-point quarters (in the first and second), which has been practically unheard of for Utah’s lackluster offense.

Unfortunately, then the fourth quarter happened. Aside from not being able to buy a bucket (a phenomenon that has become all too commonplace for the Jazz), it seemed like the team completely lost focus in the fourth quarter as several missed opportunities and costly mistakes destroyed their chances at claiming the W. The Knicks used a 29-19 burst in the final period to come out on top over the Jazz by five points.

It was a frustrating outcome for a game that Utah quite honestly should have won in commanding fashion. Nevertheless, by not focusing and closing out, they ended up dropping a costly one.

That simply cannot repeat itself in Friday’s contest. Despite Utah’s issues, they should be able to outmatch a short-handed and far from deep Nets team, so as long as they stay locked in and perform well for all 48 minutes of the game, they should be in good shape. However, if they take their foot off the gas, fail to capitalize on opportunities to extend a lead or simply lack the discipline to stay strong on either end of the floor, they’ll be setting themselves up for an upset.

The Jazz need to get the road loss monkey off their backs and build some confidence moving forward, so putting together a complete game and earning that much-needed victory over the Nets will be crucial.