Utah Jazz can take control of series with Game 3 win over OKC

After getting the road split with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Donovan Mitchell and the Utah Jazz have a chance to take control of the series in SLC.

The scene following Game 2 between the Utah Jazz and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday was one to behold if you’re a fan of the Jazz band. Donovan Mitchell, Derrick Favors, Rudy Gobert and Ricky Rubio all shared the dais at the post-game presser. And they were all smiles, too, after the hard-fought win.

While getting the road split and stealing homecourt is nice, though, a Game 3 win in Salt Lake City would really get the good times rolling.

In league history, teams that win Game 3 to break the tie during a seven-game series go on to win their series 73 percent of the time. With the action shifting from OKC to the cozy confines of Vivint Arena, Mitchell and the crew have a golden opportunity to take control of the series with a victory.

I, for one, like their chances to do so. Despite their winning efforts in Game 2, the fact of the matter is that the Jazz have yet to play their best game. There’s still another gear the team can hit.

Sure, they picked up the defense — Utah logged a D-rating of 94.1 in Game 2 and held Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony to a combined 0-of-14 shooting in the fourth quarter. They also made the shots they needed to, as evidenced by Rubio’s five triples and Mitchell’s 13 points in crunch time.

That being said, there are multiple aspects of Utah’s attack that still need to click-in. Particularly on the offensive end.

Joe Ingles has been out of sorts. Royce O’Neale is struggling on both sides of the ball; call it the Playoff P effect. Mitchell is taking seven threes per game in the series, but only connecting at a 21 percent clip. Speaking of percentages, Ingles, Rubio, O’Neale and Jae Crowder are shooting a combined 31.8 percent overall for the series.

Not only have the Jazz not gotten hot, they’ve largely been below average. But there’s no place like home for getting into the zone.

In Game 2, Jazz coach Quin Snyder exploited OKC’s defensive switches late by attacking Carmelo. With most of the matchups breaking the Thunder’s way, they need to continue to seize such advantages whenever/wherever they can.

Favors ran amok on Wednesday; he should be able to do so again in Game 3. The Jazz would also be well-served to let Dante Exum do his thing when OKC goes to Raymond Felton. There’s simply no way Felton can stop the former No. 5 overall pick.

Getting Ingles, O’Neale and Crowder up to speed goes without saying. And as far as Mitchell goes, the Jazz just need to keep feeding the beast.

Of course, the game will likely come down to the Thunder’s Big 3 in the end. 0-of-14 probably isn’t happening again, but the Jazz can’t afford a repeat of Game 1. Keeping George and Westbrook in the mid-range will be key. And the more OKC has to rely on the ball-stopping Melo, the better.

All of this will be easier said than done, but with momentum on Utah’s side and the series switching to the Viv, the groundwork has been laid for another big win. The Jazz just have to go out and get it.

Next: Utah Jazz: Kokoskov to interview with the Suns

Game 3 between the Jazz and the Thunder from SLC will tip-off at 8 PM MT on Saturday.