The J-Notes
Fansided

Utah Jazz vs. Orlando Magic: How the Jazz can get their 1st road win

By John Keeffer

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - NOBEMBER 1: Donovan Mitchell #45 and Rodney Hood #5 of the Utah Jazz high five during the game against the Portland Trail Blazers on November 1, 2017 at vivint.SmartHome Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - NOBEMBER 1: Donovan Mitchell #45 and Rodney Hood #5 of the Utah Jazz high five during the game against the Portland Trail Blazers on November 1, 2017 at vivint.SmartHome Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next
PHOENIX, AZ – NOVEMBER 10: Aaron Gordon #00 (R) of the Orlando Magic high fives Nikola Vucevic #9, Terrence Ross #31 and Evan Fournier #10 after scoring against the Phoenix Suns during the second half of the NBA game at Talking Stick Resort Arena on November 10, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ – NOVEMBER 10: Aaron Gordon #00 (R) of the Orlando Magic high fives Nikola Vucevic #9, Terrence Ross #31 and Evan Fournier #10 after scoring against the Phoenix Suns during the second half of the NBA game at Talking Stick Resort Arena on November 10, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

The Jazz must defend the 3-point line better

During Fridays loss to the Nets, the  Jazz fell behind early because they allowed the Nets open and uncontested 3-point looks. For the game, the Nets shot 17-37 from 3-point range. It’s not necessarily as concerning that the Nets made 17 threes, some times teams just make shots, but it’s the fact that many of them were uncontested.

The Orlando Magic are a team that you can’t afford to leave open. They attempt roughly 30 threes per game, and they are shooting the fourth-best percentage in the league from three, at nearly 40 percent. They have eight players who are shooting 35 percent or better from three this season.

For the Jazz to have any chance at winning this game, they can’t allow this to turn into a 3-point shootout. They near hang tight to their man, and limit the amount of air space by closing out hard on Orlando’s many shooters. With Rudy Gobert out, this may mean sacrificing driving lanes to the basket, but with a team that can shoot as well as the Magic, it is a risk you may need to take.

Home/Jazz News