Utah Jazz – San Antonio Spurs react: Jazz get 10th straight in gritty fashion

The Utah Jazz eked out a thrilling win against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night for their tenth consecutive victory.

Wow. Just wow.

That’s about the only way I can explain what the Utah Jazz were able to pull off last night. With a ten-game winning streak on the line and playing in the second night of a back-to-back, the Utah Jazz somehow managed to find a way to push past the San Antonio Spurs late in the fourth quarter to earn a 101-99 victory.

Utah led for much of the way in the first half, but a dismal third quarter saw them take an eight-point deficit into the final period of play. With about five minutes left, the Jazz trailed by double figures and especially against the disciplined Spurs, it felt like the game was all but over.

Then Donovan Mitchell took control.

https://twitter.com/utahjazz/status/963282376544608256

Despite a rough shooting night overall which saw Mitchell go just 9-of-28 (32.1 percent) from the field and 3-of-9 from deep, Donovan came up big when it mattered most. He put up a whopping 13 points in the final period which included a big-time three-pointer, a huge steal for a layup and a pull-up jumper that put the Jazz up with less than 40 seconds left in the game.

It was an absolutely exhilarating performance that featured the rookie sensation closing the game and willing his team to victory. Although I thought that Donovan made some poor decisions earlier in the game, he made up for it with that special fourth quarter. Mitchell finished the game with 25 points, seven rebounds, five assists, three steals and just one turnover.

But he couldn’t have accomplished it alone as the fellow Jazzman who I especially thought stepped up in a big way down the stretch was Derrick Favors. Favors finished the game with 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting, which included eight points in the fourth quarter, but what was even more impressive was his defense in the clutch.

He helped come up with some key stops, including an incredible block on Manu Ginobili to help seal the victory.

The coolest thing about Derrick closing out the game, though, was the story that took place behind the scenes. In reality, Rudy Gobert was set to check back in late in the fourth, but it was clear during the game that he and Quin Snyder were having a discussion and ultimately Gobert made his way back to the bench allowing Favors to finish the game. Following the contest, the explanation to what happened there was revealed and it’s pretty sweet.

Check it out in the tweets below:

Rudy’s mentality is absolutely commendable. As Quin Snyder said, Rudy definitely wanted to get back out there, but Favors and Co. had the momentum, so rather than break that, he allowed that unit to finish the game and close out the contest to get the win. This is just yet another example of Jazz players being willing to sacrifice individual success for the betterment of the team as a whole.

Beyond that, Joe Ingles had yet another impressive game as he ended up with 20 points, his third straight outing with at least that many points. He did so on 7-of-13 shooting from the field which included connecting on 4-of-6 threes. Ingles has found his confidence and stroke, and it’s clearly showing as he has allowed himself to play a larger role in Utah’s offense.

Newly acquired Jae Crowder had yet another good game as he finished with 14 points to lead all bench scorers while knocking down three of his five three-point attempts. His six threes in two games is the most he’s converted during any two-game stretch this season. It’s obviously very early in Crowder’s Jazz career, but so far early signs are indicating that it will indeed be an awesome fit.

The last guy that I want to heap praises on for the Jazz is none other than undrafted rookie Royce O’Neale. A simple glance at the box score may lead one to believe that Royce simply had an average night considering that he finished with just eight points and three rebounds. However, his defense and decision-making throughout the night were impeccable.

In fact, it was O’Neale’s defense on San Antonio’s final possession – one in which they had a chance to tie or take the lead in the game’s waning moments – which ultimately sealed the game for the Jazz. He played absolutely incredibly to disrupt the play from the get-go, then remained disciplined by staying on his feet and not falling for Kyle Anderson’s ball fake. Check it out for yourself below:

It was a seamless performance from Royce that even earned him some crazed admiration from head coach Quin Snyder.

I’ll be perfectly honest, especially when Utah trailed by 13 in the fourth quarter, I thought the win streak was all but over. But this team simply continues to impress as they extended the streak to 10 games and now find themselves a game above .500. Utah’s incredible teamwork remained in full display last night as it certainly took everyone who logged minutes to help the Jazz win the game.

Next: Utah Jazz 2017-18 Week 18 Outlook, Predictions

They’ll look to make it an astounding 11 wins in a row when they host the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night in their final game before the All-Star Break. Utah’s win last night moved them to 3-0 on the season against San Antonio, which is the first time they’ve won three or more games in a season against the Spurs since the 2009-10 season. The Jazz now find themselves just 1.5 games out of eighth place in the West and three games out of fifth place.

In other words, as Monday’s victory further solidified, the playoffs are well within reach for the Utah Jazz.