Utah Jazz: The wildest splash party in NBA history

Those who watched the most recent Utah Jazz game saw a 3-point celebration.

Fortunately for the NBA-best Utah Jazz (38-11), who sure seem to thrive off the inexplicable lack of national attention their bonafide basketball brilliance receives, they were once again able to fly somewhat under the national radar.

Because on Saturday night, while the Jazzmen were shredding nets in historic fashion on their way to a 137-91 home win over the injury-riddled Orlando Magic (17-32), the masses had eyes on the Final Four, specifically the Gonzaga-UCLA overtime thriller. And ultimately, Jalen Suggs’ epic March Madness 3-point buzzer-beater swiped airtime from Utah highlights.

So in fairness to the Jazz, whether they want the attention or not, let’s look back at the 3-point feat many folks must have missed.

After all, in spite of All-Star guard Mike Conley sitting this one out while managing his right hamstring injury, the damage this well-oiled Utah team did beyond the arc in the first half was unlike anything the NBA has ever seen.

Utah Jazz’s first-half cannonball splash

Not even the Golden State Warriors’ “Splash Brothers” have taken part in a more prolific 24-minute splash party. Rather, the 18 first-half deep bombs by the Utah Jazz eclipsed the single-half record of 17 by the 2017-18 Warriors.

Utah entered halftime with an absurd 156.0 offensive rating and a franchise-record 38-point halftime lead, 78-40, against the wrong-place wrong-time Orlando Magic. At that time, the sizzling Jazz boasted an 18-for-31 clip from long distance, thanks to what was obviously a “Splash Family” affair:

• Donovan Mitchell: 6-for-7
• Joe Ingles: 4-for-6
• Jordan Clarkson: 3-for-6
• Georges Niang: 2-for-3
• Bojan Bogdanovic: 2-for-4
• Miye Oni: 1-for-1
• Royce O’Neale: 0-for-4

Four minutes into the third quarter, witnessing a doubled-up 92-46 advantage, all the official Jazz Twitter account could do was laugh:

Meanwhile, all Quin Snyder needed to do as head coach of the remarkably potent bunch was to begin emptying his bench. By the five-minute mark of the third quarter, all the starters had permanently exited the game.

Then, by the start of the fourth quarter, the Jazz enjoyed a 23-for-40 clip from deep for the contest, threatening to become the first NBA team to ever knock down 30 threes in a game. Yet they came up a tad short of this particular accomplishment, finishing 26-for-55; of course, had the stars played their usual minutes, Utah might’ve flirted with 40.

Still, the overall performance was unforgettable, coming within one point of handing Orlando its all-time most lopsided loss.

Plus, it was the fourth time this season that Utah has hit 25 or more threes in a game, tying the 2018-19 Houston Rockets for the most such outings by a squad in any season.

Furthermore, the Jazz’s 26-2 edge over the Magic in 3-point makes marked the all-time largest 3-point disparity between teams in an NBA game. Naturally, it’s no surprise this record came from the hands of these Salt Lake City sharpshooters, who together rank No. 1 this season in 3-point makes per game (17.1) while allowing the fewest per game from opposing teams (10.4).

Now, with still 23 games remaining in the Utah Jazz’s regular season and the squad firing on all cylinders when it comes to both finding open shooters and delivering the goods from downtown, it’s now safe to say that none of the league’s 3-point records are safe.