This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Depending on what view you take on Utah's 111-110 preseason loss to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night, the Jazz' depth either bodes well for the future, or you didn't learn much of anything at all.
Utah's regulars — even missing four rotation players in Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors, Rodney Hood and Alec Burks — were suffocating on both ends of the floor. The defense, always good, was oppressive in the first half. The offense, choppy in the infancy of preseason, seems to be improving each game. Even with their relative "B" team, the Jazz led by 30 points midway through the second quarter.
There could be another way of looking at this, however. Phoenix's regulars were not very good on Wednesday night. For three quarters, Phoenix played sloppy and uninspired basketball, and looked like they wanted to be anywhere other than Vivint SmartHome Arena.
The final score was window dressing, as the last quarter turned into a battle of deep reserves in a game that featured over 100 free throws and nearly 80 personal fouls.
"It's a game we would've liked to win," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. "But I thought we looked very good at times. We did a lot of good things tonight, but we just weren't able to close it out."
In a game that dragged out by the end, with fouls seemingly being called on every other play, the Jazz were able to take away several positives. Dante Exum played his best game of the preseason, offensively. The guard, coming off ACL surgery, scored 18 points in three quarters, adding three assists and solid defense.
Getting the start for Hood, Exum was able to get into the lane at will off the dribble. Finishing in the lane with an assortment of shots, Exum shot 5 of 10 from the field and drained eight of his nine free throws. Exum's made his preseason impact defensively already; Wednesday night, he showed his potential offensively, leading the Jazz in scoring and battling Phoenix star Devin Booker on both ends.
"I think it's just the process," Exum said. "I want to get better with each game. So there are two more [preseason] games, and I just kind of want to put it all together."
Rudy Gobert continued his standout preseason, scoring 17 points and adding eight rebounds in 19 minutes. He scored 12 points in the first quarter alone, and generally accomplished whatever he wanted when he was on the floor.
The Jazz finished the first half with a 58-40 lead, which was essentially the game for Utah's regulars. Snyder sat Joe Johnson, George Hill and Boris Diaw for the entire second half, and Gobert played two minutes in the third quarter before Snyder took him out for good.
Instead, Snyder played the end of his roster extended minutes for the first time in the preseason, getting a good look at Joel Bolomboy, Marcus Paige, Chris Johnson and Quincy Ford. Bolomboy, the rookie out of Weber State, played regular rotation minutes for the first time, getting playing time ahead of Jeff Withey as a reward for his play against the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night.
The big man responded with another solid performance, rebounding the ball well, and playing with energy. He finished with 12 points and seven rebounds.
"Joel's going to have moments where things are confusing to him," Snyder said. "But the great thing about him is that he continues to play hard through everything."
Booker led the Suns with a game-high 20 points on 7 of 15 shooting. Eric Bledsoe had 16 for Phoenix, while rookie forward Marquese Chriss scored 14.
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Storylines
R Phoenix guard Archie Goodwin dunks home the game-winning points with 3.3 seconds remaining as Suns complete comeback after being down 30 points in first half.
• The Jazz and the Suns combine for 106 free throws as Utah falls to 2-2 in preseason.