This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
Just last week, the Utah Jazz offense looked as good as it had all season.
Shots were dropping. The ball-movement was sublime. Scoring came easy, and the Jazz looked like they were playing at peak level after dropping at least 120 points in consecutive road wins over the Atlanta Hawks and New Orleans Pelicans.
A week later, the offense has done a 180.
In Monday night's 88-72 home loss to the Los Angeles Clippers at Vivint Smart Home Arena, Utah's offense bottomed out. The shots that fell so frequently last week clanged off the rim. The ball-movement is nowhere to be found, and the offense as a whole resembled a trip to the dentist for a root canal.
"We just have to fight our way through it," Jazz forward Joe Johnson said. "This is that time of the season. There are moments when you look great, and there are moments when you can't seem to get the ball to go into the basket."
Monday night definitely represented the latter for the Jazz. Utah shot 32 percent from the field, and went 4 of 23 from the 3-point line. The Jazz had just seven points in transition, which meant they weren't getting easy baskets. Gordon Hayward and George Hill, two of their best players, went a combined 4 of 23 from the field.
The final play of the game summed things up best for Utah, as Trey Lyles hit a meaningless 3-pointer that was deemed too late by the officials and wiped away. That was the Jazz offensively against Los Angeles. Everything seemingly came too little and too late.
"Shots just didn't go in for us tonight," Hill said. "Sometimes you're going to have nights like that."
What specifically went wrong for the Jazz? The Clippers deployed a defense where they automatically switched everything from point guard to center, which made it difficult for Utah to run its intricate sets.
The Jazz were affected by this from the start, scoring 19 points in the first quarter. It would get worse, as Utah scored only 30 points combined in the second and third quarters.
"It kind of takes you out of rhythm when you face a team with that kind of capability," Hill said. "That's a team you struggle with early, but then you try and figure it out."
Jazz coach Quin Snyder said the Clippers had "more resolve on their defensive end" than the Jazz did offensively. The Jazz were also affected by the defense of Los Angeles center DeAndre Jordan, who changed shots inside the paint for most of the night.
Players and coaches said Wednesday's matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers would be important for heading into the all-star break with a win. They also know in order to accomplish that, the offense will have to improve upon their last two games.
witter: @tribjazz —
Storylines
R Utah places three players in double-figures.
• Rudy Gobert has 38 double-doubles this season.
• The Jazz shoot 32 percent from the field.