This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
Utah's performance Wednesday night wasn't perfect.
But the Jazz played much better in the second half and resembled their true selves when it mattered against the Portland Trail Blazers. By the time Utah finished a 111-88 win at Vivint Smart Home Arena, deep reserves were in on both sides of a game that had long ago gotten out of hand.
It was exactly what the Jazz needed, a definitive end to a three-game losing streak, and the ability to go into the all-star break on a high note.
"We had a bad taste in our mouths and we didn't want to go into the break losing four straight games," Jazz forward Gordon Hayward said. "We played well tonight on both ends and our guards did a great job defensively. It was a total team effort tonight."
Utah's resurgence didn't come initially, as it struggled in the first quarter in scoring only 18 points. The Jazz shot 6-for-21 from the field in those first 12 minutes. A rendition of the past three games seemed imminent.
But Utah did on Wednesday night what it couldn't against the Los Angeles Clippers or the Boston Celtics: They played good offense until the shots started to fall.
That resilience eventually bred success in the third quarter. The open looks that clanged off the rim in the first half started to go through the net after halftime. An apprehensive crowd of 19,590 that witnessed a 40-37 halftime score quickly became engaged. And the Jazz were able to turn things around and create separation.
"I told them in some ways it was a good thing that we didn't initially get the affirmation and the boost from making shots," Utah coach Quin Snyder said. "We had to defend and be mentally tough and keep grinding and keep working and hoping to see the ball go in on the other end. Eventually it did."
Hayward came alive after the half, scoring 13 of his game-high 22 points in the third quarter. And he brought his teammates with him. A 20-4 run in the middle of the third broke things open for good, as the Jazz took a 64-45 lead and never looked back.
For those 12 minutes, Utah shot 62 percent from the field and made five of its seven 3-point attempts. More importantly, there were contributions throughout Snyder's rotation. George Hill scored 19 points, and shut down Portland star Damian Lillard.
Joe Ingles scored 18 points and did almost as good a job defensively on Blazers shooting guard C.J. McCollum as Hill did on Lillard. Rudy Gobert scored 13 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked three shots. Joe Johnson came off the bench to score 13 points. Dante Exum scored 12 points in 19 minutes, and dunked on Portland's Noah Vonleh in what was the play of the night.
The Jazz scored 71 points in the second half and defensively, Utah limited Portland to 40 percent shooting. And the Jazz starters significantly outplayed their counterparts.
"Well, our offense was a struggle for most of the night," Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts said. "Obviously, Utah is a very good defensive team. I thought some of it was, especially early, we had some shots that didn't drop. Their 3-point shooting in the second half really turned the tide. It was a tough loss. I didn't think we played that well offensively, but we were competing and at least kept it close until the 3-pointers came."
Portland became Utah's 20th opponent to score 90 or fewer points, which leads the league and is the most through 57 games since the 2005-2006 season.
"I'm proud that we were able to bounce back," Hayward said. "I'm proud of the way we played today. We guarded them. We're going into the break with a win, so it feels good."
Twitter: @tribjazz —
Storylines
R Gordon Hayward finishes with 22 points and moves past Deron Williams and into eighth place on the all-time Jazz scoring list.
• Hayward and George Hill combine for 40 points or more for the 12th time this season.
• Rudy Gobert records his 39th double-double of the season.