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Utah Jazz: Ricky Rubio’s epic outburst ignites in much-needed win

Ryan Aston|
SACRAMENTO, CA - NOVEMBER 25: Head Coach Quin Snyder and Ricky Rubio #3 of the Utah Jazz talk during the game against the Sacramento Kings on November 25, 2018 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
SACRAMENTO, CA - NOVEMBER 25: Head Coach Quin Snyder and Ricky Rubio #3 of the Utah Jazz talk during the game against the Sacramento Kings on November 25, 2018 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)

Ignited by a scorching-hot Ricky Rubio, the Utah Jazz snapped a three-game skid with a big win over the Sacramento Kings.

When the Utah Jazz began their Sunday night bout with the Sacramento Kings in a 7-0 hole, the phrase “here we go again” immediately leapt to mind.

Then Ricky Rubio happened.

With the Jazz missing their star in Donovan Mitchell and facing the possibility of a fourth-straight loss, Rubio proceeded to have one of the most potent halves of offensive basketball in his NBA career. His efforts and intensity ignited the squad in a 133-112 win.

With the victory, the Jazz snapped a three-game losing streak and improved to 9-11 on the year.

Rubio scored 23 points on 10-of-12 shooting with two triples over the game’s first 24 minutes. Thanks in large part to his efforts, the Jazz entered the half with a nine-point lead, an advantage that ballooned to as many as 28 in the second half.

After being saddled with foul trouble for much of the third and fourth quarters, the point guard finished with 27 on the night.

Meanwhile, Rudy Gobert dominated his individual match-up with the Kings’ Willie Cauley-Stein, scoring 18 points on 7-of-10 from the field and adding 15 boards and five dimes. Not to be outdone, Joe Ingles scored 18 on just eight shots and registered a team-high plus-20 in the plus/minus department.

Alec Burks notched 14 off the bench for Utah.

Another key in the win was Jazz coach Quin Snyder’s decision to move Jae Crowder into the starting five in place of big man Derrick Favors. It was a move that did wonders for the team’s offensive pace and spacing, not to mention its defensive cohesion.

Crowder scored 14 points in 25 minutes and the Jazz outscored Sacramento by 13 points when he was on the floor. On the flip side, Favors was the picture of all-around impact with the second unit, logging 11 points, seven boards, three steals and three blocked shots.

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This weekend, I called for Snyder to find a solution to the Favors issue. On this night, at least, both players and the team at large seemed to benefit from the switch.

Now, not to throw a wet blanket on a nice win, but some part of the blowout may be attributable to the fact that the Kings were less than 24 hours removed from losing to the Golden State Warriors in a 117-116 thriller.

Still, a win is a win and the Jazz will take ’em where they can get ’em.

The Jazz will be back in action on a quick turnaround on Monday with a game against the Indiana Pacers.

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