Yesterday, we predicted the Utah Jazz would lose their contest with the Denver Nuggets. At the time, we were unaware that Nikola Jokic would be sitting. Unsurprisingly, his absence changed everything.
Without the reigning MVP, these Nuggets were downright beatable. The Jazz still deserve credit for taking advantage in a 108-104 victory. They were without both Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert themselves. The playing field was surprisingly leveled, and the Utah Jazz thrived in that situation.
Utah Jazz get consistent production across the board
In a battle between two depleted Western Conference powerhouses, the Jazz’s depth emerged as an advantage. All told, six Jazzmen finished with double digit scoring totals.
It was partly a consequence of (temporary) roster construction. Mike Conley was arguably the best Jazz player to suit up last night, and he ran the show like the pure point guard that he is. Conley finished with 17 points on 6/14 shooting from the field and 3/5 shooting from downtown. He also added 5 assists and 4 steals.
That’s not a gaudy assist total, but Conley has never been one for gaudy stats. He made several secondary assists throughout the contest. Furthermore, his willingness to defer to teammates and function as an off-ball threat kept his teammates involved throughout this contest.
Some of his younger ones pounced on that opportunity.
Utah Jazz prospects shine in victory
We have to start with Trent Forrest. He was outstanding in this game. The second-year guard finished with 18 points and 8 assists. He didn’t turn the ball over once.
In fact, Forrest played like a lead guard alongside former All-Star Mike Conley. That’s something to (if you’ll forgive us) Take Note of. He made several advanced reads to set up teammates and flashed sophisticated shot selection, going 6/7 from the field. Whether he’s a trade chip or a more prominent rotation piece moving forward, Forrest is steadily making the case that he should be part of this team’s success.
Forrest wasn’t the only young Jazzman who showed up last night. Rookie Jared Butler finished with 10 points and 3 assists. He couldn’t get it going from deep, going 0/5 from beyond the arc. That’s about the only criticism you could make of his performance last night.
Udoka Azubuike wasn’t one of those Jazzmen to score 10+ points, but he was impactful nonetheless. He finished with 8 points to go with 10 rebounds and 2 blocks in just 22 minutes. Many observers may have expected Quin Snyder to go small, starting Eric Paschall in the absence of either Gobert or Whiteside. His decision to roll with a conventional 5 paid dividends.
The Utah Jazz needed this win
The Jazz have been in a deep, dark hole lately. Prior to this game, they’d dropped 5 straight contests, and 8 of their last 10.
It may have come against a Nuggets team missing their 3 best players. That’s fine. The Jazz were missing their 2 best. More significantly, they needed a win, period.
They got one last night.
Hopefully, these Utah Jazz can keep the good times rolling. They square off with the talented-but-struggling Brooklyn Nets tomorrow night.