Utah Jazz-Atlanta Hawks react: The lows keep getting lower

The Utah Jazz were stymied in their efforts to secure back-to-back wins, dropping a gimme game to Taurean Prince and the Atlanta Hawks.

For basketball’s sharp-shooters, sometimes all it takes is seeing the ball rip through the net to light a fire. A little lay-up to get things going and get into a rhythm.

The Utah Jazz went for the easy lay-in on Monday night — a bout against what is arguably the NBA’s worst team in the Atlanta Hawks. If they could take care of business in the ATL, it would be back-to-back wins for the first time since December and the beleaguered Jazz could begin to find a little bit of a groove.

Instead, they bricked the gimme.

After missing their first 10 shots and failing to score until the 6:48 mark of the first period, the Jazz somehow managed to keep within striking distance. Whatever fortitude allowed that to happen was gone, however, as the game reached its homestretch.

With the Jazz trailing by just one point late in the third quarter, Dennis Schroder and Dewayne Dedmon keyed a 13-3 run to close the period. The Hawks went on to score the first 13 points of the final carom and cruised to a 104-90 win over Utah.

And, really, it wasn’t that close.

Once again, the team was unimpressive defensively. Throughout the game, bad rotations resulted in corner three after corner three. By night’s end, the Hawks had knocked down 12-of-26 triples. Utah’s ability to correct this going forward will be the key to preserving any shot they still have at postseason play.

Or, as Rudy Gobert put it after the the game: “Until we start playing more physical and being more focused on what we have to do, individually and collectively, we’re going to get our a** kicked.”

That said, the offense may have been even worse than the defense this time around.

First-year phenom Donovan Mitchell fell flat in a major way. The Rookie of the Year candidate made just 5-of-13 shots for 13 points and committed six turnovers. Meanwhile, Ricky Rubio missed seven of his eight attempts for a big, fat deuce.

When that’s the production the Jazz get from their starting back court, they’re not going come out with wins.

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Elsewhere, would-be Jazz draftee Taurean Prince rubbed salt in the wound left by the George Hill trade. He finished with 17 points, three assists and three steals and the Hawks outscored the Jazz by 20 when he was on the floor.

Schroder paced the Hawks with a game-high 20 points.

The Jazz do have a handful of built-in excuses, if you’re into that sort of thing. It was their third game in four nights, they’re still working to reintegrate Rudy Gobert, Rodney Hood has joined the body bag brigade, etc. etc.

Regardless, losing to the Hawks is bad and the way it went down is sure to give Jazz coach Quin Snyder another gray hair or two.

The setback may not be rock-bottom for the team, but it certainly feels like it in the immediate aftermath.

With the loss, the Jazz dropped to 19-28 on the season. They’ll be back in action on Wednesday against the Detroit Pistons.

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