This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
Orlando • The legs can get tired. Players start yearning for home. The finish line is in sight.
Friday's matchup against the Orlando Magic and Saturday's game against the Miami Heat are dangerous indeed for the Utah Jazz, for more reasons than what actually happens on the basketball court.
By the time the Jazz finish with the Heat on Saturday, they will have played their fifth game in seven nights, all far away from the friendly confines of Vivint Smart Home Arena. This is the point of the road trip where the Jazz will need to be strong mentally.
"We definitely have to be tough mentally," Utah shooting guard Rodney Hood said. "We have to pay attention to detail and lean on each other as a team. This is the end of the road trip, so we have to focus and be sharp."
The Jazz know they've been good thus far on their first extended trip of the season, having won three of four, heading into Saturday night in Miami. They also know the perils of a trip wearing on them, having seen it first hand in the past.
Witness last year, when Utah came into Orlando on the tail end of a back-to-back and lost 102-93 in a game where the Jazz had to stage a furious fourth-quarter rally just to make the score look respectable. It was the third game of a four-game swing through the Eastern Conference. The Jazz didn't have Rudy Gobert, who got hurt earlier on the trip, and the Magic took full advantage.
Following that game, Utah coach Quin Snyder simply said his team "had no juice." It's an experience the Jazz want to avoid having again. Which makes finishing this trip the right away a big priority.
"We're going into this with eyes open," Snyder said before Friday's game. "We're fighting two teams that are at home and that have traditionally been tough for us. Last year, Orlando really took it to us. They are both good teams, and they are both teams that play with a lot of urgency."
Hood producing more
Hood is off to the best start of his three-year career. He's third on the team, scoring 18 points per game. He's averaging 4.4 rebounds and two assists per night.
He's also more aggressive and less deferential, which the Jazz have wanted to see out of him. He's going to the basket more. He's drawing more fouls, and he's emerging as a consistent second scorer behind Gordon Hayward.
"I think I'm starting to get better," Hood said. "I'm not forcing it as much. I'm picking my spots, and I feel like I'm coming along. We just have to keep it going."
Reunions repeated
For the second consecutive game, Gobert and Boris Diaw met a France national team member in Orlando's Evan Fournier. The Magic's starting shooting guard, Fournier leads Orlando, scoring 17 points a night. … Reserve Magic guard C.J. Wilcox is a former Pleasant Grove High star.
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