Beaten by the Spurs on their floor a week ago, the Jazzmen were warned. Despite the absence of Donovan Mitchell, Utah this time was able to thwart the trap of San Antonio (deprived of Dejounte Murray) by relying on an incisive collective around the Clarkson / Gobert pair.
Quin Snyder’s troops took the lead at the end of the first quarter when Rudy Gobert chained a dunk and then an assist for the 3-point Joe Ingles, imitated in stride by Mike Conley (25-32).
It was then on an 11-0 marked by the dunks of the O’Neale / Whiteside pair and the 3-points of Bojan Bogdanovic that the Jazz scored the blow (35-50). The two baskets of Derrick White (21 points) in the last thirty seconds before the break barely maintained the suspense (43-53).
Because Utah was determined to take revenge. The 3-points from Joe Ingles, the 2 + 1 from Bojan Bogdanovic and the remarkable passages of Rudy Gobert and Jordan Clarkson helped to maintain the gap in the third quarter (70-82).
The lead climbed to +18 following a 3-point followed by two throws from Rudy Gay (72-90). Jordan Clarkson finally scored 10 of his 23 points, including the two victory throws in the last quarter to secure the shot. Only the altercation between the Philippine international and a fan will have marred the almost perfect performance of Jazz this night.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– Spurs stewed. While they had managed to score at least 110 points in the previous ten games, the Spurs were this time reduced to the bare minimum, finding themselves limited to 85 points until the last five minutes of the game. Applied in defense, the Jazz also found solutions in attack despite the absence of its offensive leader. “We were able to score in transition thanks to our defense”, recalled Rudy Gobert.
– The “Twin Towers” still at work. It becomes a constant, with Rudy Gobert at the head of the gondola and a Hassan Whiteside who rages in efficiency despite a shorter playing time. On arrival, the Frenchman made his match again (16 points at 5/7, 13 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks) and was perfectly supported by his alter ego (13 points, 8 rebounds in 19 minutes), allowing Utah to dominate the rebound and impose its paw in defense.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Jordan Clarkson. The sixth man in Jazz has a secure wrist and strong nerves. Originally from San Antonio, the latter was however unsettled by a Spurs fan. As he had just settled the fate of the match four minutes from the fan, Jordan Clarkson was confronted by a rather virulent fan. The player was calmed down by his teammates before the spirits heated up too much and the fan was kicked out of the room.
Prior to that, Jordan Clarkson had dealt the killing blow to San Antonio in the final act. Author of 23 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists, it was again he who scored the two throws of the victory when the premises returned to -6 at the very end of the game.
✅ The Ingles-Bogdanovic pair. With Jordan Clarkson, we inevitably expected that the two exteriors raise their level of play in the absence of Donovan Mitchell. It was the case, with 19 points for the Croatian and 17 for Joe Ingles. The Australian was thus skillful from afar, especially with his two missiles on his return from the locker room which had the merit of calming the Spurs.
THE FOLLOWING
San antonio (14-19): the Spurs will continue at home with the reception of Miami this Wednesday.
Utah (24-9): the Jazz will meet in Portland this Wednesday.
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