Team effort leads Utah Jazz past Boston Celtics

The Utah Jazz came together and earned a tough road win on the second game of a back-to-back to sweep the season series against the Boston Celtics.

I think I’m speaking on behalf of most Utah Jazz fans when I say I wasn’t exactly optimistic about the team’s chances against the Boston Celtics heading into Saturday’s game. Having lost two straight contests, including a 50-point blowout at the hands of a non-playoff team and a heartbreaking down-to-the-wire loss the night prior, the Jazz had their work cut out for them in Beantown.

But thanks to a team effort and a big night from Donovan Mitchell, the Jazz were able to get back to their winning ways, beating Boston 98-86 to sweep the season series with Gordon Hayward‘s squad.

As Utah fell to a 7-2 deficit before the first timeout, it looked as though Jazz fans were in for another torturous night. But from that moment on, the Jazz showed exactly how they reeled off a magnificent season-ending run early this year; with ferocious defense and unselfish ball movement.

The rightful order of the basketball universe came back into effect for the Jazz offense as Mitchell got his shot working and everyone else was able to work off the extra attention given to him.

He was unbelievable, scoring 28 points on 21 field goal attempts (including 5-of-12 from 3-point land), to go with six assists, three rebounds and three steals. But the highlight of the game — and maybe the season for Jazz fans — was Mitchell blocking Hayward’s dunk attempt in transition.

The chase-down block was one of Hayward’s signature plays as a Jazz-man, and Mitchell used it against him. It’s rare that you see that kind of symmetry in life, or karma, as some would put it. But one thing is for sure — no Jazz fan is forgetting that play any time soon.

This game was far from just a breakout from Mitchell, however, as everyone played their part in ensuring the Jazz came out on top. Some notable performances were Ricky Rubio‘s efficient 20-point game, Royce O’Neale‘s stellar defensive display and perhaps most importantly, an outstanding performance on both ends of the floor by Dante Exum.

Utah Jazz

For the Celtics, Kyrie Irving was solid with 20 points and looked on the cusp of swinging the game before picking up his fifth foul. Much to the delight of Jazz fans, Hayward was never able to get going. His disconnection from the rest of the team looked apparent as he was throwing the ball all over the gym. Some of his passes that didn’t even result in turnovers were really quite strange.

Besides Irving, Jayson Tatum was the only other Celtic to hit double-digits with 10 points. Boston’s offensive struggles throughout the game were largely due to their terrible 3-point shooting. They went 5-of-33 on the night for a meager 15.2 percent. Utah’s shooting wasn’t a whole lot better as they shot 11-of-38 from three at 28.9 percent and continued to struggle at the free-throw line, making on just 17-of-27 attempts for 63 percent.

The Jazz have another big test as they close out their five-game road trip against Victor Oladipo and the Indiana Pacers on Monday. Despite their struggles against Dallas and Philadelphia, a win against the Pacers could put the Jazz above .500 on a tough road trip. Let’s hope the Jazz can get it done.

Statistics courtesy of NBA.com.