Home Court
Fortunately for the Jazz, Game 6 will be played back in Salt Lake City.
According to Mitchell, the Jazz won’t be returning to OKC until the 2018-2019 season…
A buddy sent me this.
— Gabe Ikard (@GabeIkard) April 26, 2018
Donovan Mitchell: “Hey. We’ll see y’all next year.”#ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/sTbt3tKk6q
While I don’t entirely agree with giving a team on the ropes who just took back the momentum any more motivation, I tend to side with Mitchell’s prediction.
Whether you agree with Mitchell’s confidence or not, Jazz Nation has provided a spark to this Utah squad at home. The Jazz beat the Thunder by an average of 15 points in their two home games this series.
Another commonly cited trend is that role players typically play better with the comforts of their home court and crown backing them. That bodes well for players like Royce O’Neale and Dante Exum.
Exum has largely been held in check this postseason. However, I’d look for Coach Snyder to give Dante an opportunity to provide Utah with an offensive spark in Game 6. If Utah gets help from its bench on Friday, they will have a great chance to close out the series in front of their home fans.
Another factor that plays into home court advantage is officiating. Foul trouble played a large role in OKC’s comeback victory on Wednesday night. Rudy Gobert sat out most of the third quarter after picking up his fourth “foul”.
If you can even call this a foul…
Our photographer @JDortz_Photog captured a great angle of Rudy Gobert's 4th foul in Game 5 that shows just how much distance there was between Rudy and Melo. #nba pic.twitter.com/iDEqCPgyuT
— Jeremiah Jensen (@JeremiahJensen) April 26, 2018
I am not one to blame officiating, especially in a game where the Jazz blew a 25-point lead, however, that was a game-changing missed call.
Whether you believe in “home cooking” or not, if Gobert can stay out of foul trouble in Game 6, the Thunder will have to rely on knocking down contested jump shots to have any chance of forcing a Game seven back in OKC.
Keep your heads up Jazz fans. There is a lot to feel good about. #JazzIn6
Next: Jazz draftee Nigel Williams-Goss went nuts in Europe
How are you feeling about Game 6? Let me know your thoughts about Utah’s collapse and their chances to close out the series on Friday below.
Also, follow me on Twitter @TylerDThorpe for more Utah Jazz insights and analysis.