Make the Magic play your pace
If you are the Utah Jazz and you are struggling to keep up with the high-octane offenses of the NBA today, you need to find a way to force teams into your style of play. We’ve seen the Jazz do this over the last few years, as they will place a focus on playing in a half-court offense, not going after offensive rebounds so they can get back on defense, and limiting turnovers to prevent fast break points.
That is your formula to defeating the Orlando Magic. They score 108.7 points per game, and they are the sixth-fastest team in the league with a pace of play at 102.13. Compare that to the Utah Jazz who are only scoring 99 points per game and have a 98.13 pace of play.
The Magic have effective fast break players. Players like Aaron Gordon, Terrance Ross, Elfrid Payton, and Jonathon Simmons thrive when the game turns into a track meet. In order to slow the Magic down and to maximize their chance of victory, the Jazz should look to limit the amount of possessions in the game.
They can do this by forcing the game into the half court, and knowing that Quin Snyder’s half court offense should generate better shots than the Magic’s half court offense…they just have to make them.