This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Qualifying for the postseason is a done deal. Actual playoff positioning will likely remain a fluid subject for the next two weeks. Winning the Northwest Division means nothing since it no longer automatically comes with the fourth spot as a reward.
With all of these issues no longer issues, the Utah Jazz now know they have to concentrate on one thing in the short term: playing better basketball as a team.
Before Monday night's 108-100 win over the New Orleans Pelicans at Vivint Smart Home Arena, immediate priorities were two-fold: Rebounding from Saturday's horrid road loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, and progressing past Rudy Gobert's comments that called teammates out for not being competitive.
"We have to move on as a group," Jazz point guard George Hill said.
Defeating New Orleans may not serve as a permanent cure to Utah's overall ills — after all, the Jazz had lost four of their last five coming into Monday night. But the Jazz had to be encouraged with their showing, regardless.
Utah played with more energy than it has shown for at least the past two weeks. Jazz players dived for loose balls, and sold out for difficult rebounds in traffic. The Jazz made the extra pass all night, notching 27 assists as a team. Even without All-Star forward Gordon Hayward, who sat out with a quadriceps contusion, and starting power forward Derrick Favors, the Jazz looked better than they had in the previous week.
As a result, Utah was able to win a game it had to have. Without Hayward to lean on, others stepped up on the perimeter. Rodney Hood, who had struggled the previous three games, scored 20 points and grabbed six rebounds. He looked healthy, more like the Hood the Jazz need to have a shot at success in the postseason.
Hill scored 17 points and ran Utah's offense with aplomb. Joe Johnson came off the bench to score 14 points. Joe Ingles made multiple big shots in the fourth quarter on his way to 19 points.
As has been his custom, Gobert was sensational for much of the game. He scored 20 points, grabbed 19 rebounds and blocked five shots, battling New Orleans superstar Anthony Davis all night.
Davis scored 24 of his 36 points in the first half, and appeared to be on his way to a huge game. But then, Jazz coach Quin Snyder made a tactical adjustment that forever turned the tide in Utah's favor. He put Johnson on Davis and switched Gobert onto Dante Cunningham.
With Cunningham being a non-shooter, Gobert was able to stay closer to the basket than when he was guarding Davis, who was effective against Gobert on the perimeter. The switch allowed the Jazz to get stops when they needed them in the third quarter and eventually blow the game open. Davis still finished with gaudy numbers. But he didn't have the impact on the second half he had in the first two quarters.
Utah led by as many as 15 points in the first half, but that dissipated by the third quarter. When Jrue Holiday drove the paint and scored, New Orleans forged itself a 63-61 lead with 7:20 remaining in the third quarter.
The sellout crowd directed scattered boos at the home team at that point. But the Jazz responded with a 17-2 run that gave them a 78-65 advantage with 2:23 remaining in the third quarter.
Utah was able to sufficiently keep New Orleans at bay after that. The Jazz made shots and defended well, making it difficult for the Pelicans to string unanswered points together.
The Jazz move to 45-29 on the season. And with the win, Utah moves a game and a half over the Los Angeles Clippers in the race for homecourt advantage in the Western Conference.
Twitter: @tribjazz