One more night, one more challenge — well, sort of — for the Jazz in their quest not just for playoff qualification, but for a preferred playoff spot, perhaps even home-court advantage in the first round. How’s the third spot in the West sound? It could happen.
Considering where they were eight weeks ago, that prospect is astonishing.
Thursday night’s task, facing the Clippers, featured an opponent clinging to its own slippery hope for playoff inclusion. And that made the showdown that much more desperate, that much more compelling.
At least in theory. At least before the opening tip. At least before the Jazz blasted out of the chute and took a 30-point lead early in the fourth quarter.
Ultimately, the numbers on the board, along with the expressions on Jazz players’ faces, told the story: Jazz 117, Clips 95.
It looked easy. It was easy, even though Ricky Rubio left the game with leftover hamstring soreness and Jae Crowder had his eyeball scratched.
“Tonight was a big step up from the last game,” Donovan Mitchell said. “We locked in, focused from the beginning. That carried over to the whole game.”
Said Derrick Favors: “Guys have stayed committed, and it’s paying off for us. … We’re staying together, working hard.”
Added Quin Snyder: “It was a good effort on our part. We did a good job of keeping our focus defensively. … We had more connectivity as a group. Our guys understood how important the game was.”
The subpar defensive effort that had plagued the Jazz and angered Snyder on Tuesday night against Los Angeles’ other team was restored to its proper level this time. Much to the relief of Snyder and the players, too, who reaped the benefits of their urgency. The offense wasn’t bad, either. The Jazz shot 53 percent from the floor.
But — no breaking news here — defense has become the identity the Jazz have created for — and wrapped around — themselves since Rudy Gobert’s return after missing nearly 30 games earlier this season. The numerical evidence suggesting his importance is hardly a whisper, it’s a shout.
The Jazz are 27-5 since the last week of January, a few days after Gobert got healthy. Only great teams pull off a run like that, and the big man is an extraordinary reason the Jazz are moving in a most remarkable direction.
They have used his presence as a foundation around which to build the stance and stature and status of the entire group. Yeah, it’s sweet for them when they hit 60 percent of their shots as they did a couple of games back, or when Mitchell goes off for 41 points, or when Rubio gets 31. That’s nice and all, but it is the resistance anchored by You-Know-Who and accentuated by everybody around him that has been the accelerator from January to April.
The stats back it all up, including points yielded per 100 possessions, points in the paint, and defensive efficiency. Trying to find points around the basket against Gobert is like climbing a wall that’s leaning toward you. The ball leaves the opponent’s hand, meets up with Rudy’s palm, and tumbles back to the opponent’s face, just like it did on Thursday night three times for the Clippers. It’s downright rude.
It’s Rud-eeeeeee.
And the other guys seem inspired by Gobert’s boorish behavior, as much as they are excited by Mitchell’s enthusiasm. Snyder has them convinced that that’s where their chance for victory lies, on most nights. He’s right. He knows it. They know it. He knows that they know that he knows that they know it.
Against the Clips, the Jazz let up a bit down the stretch because … well, they had pretty much blown eight freeway exits past L.A. The thrill of the challenge, such as it was, had evaporated long before the end.
So, now, they have the Lakers on the road, the Warriors at home, and the Blazers in Portland, a game that could have significant ramifications for the postseason. How’s Dame’s ankle feeling? The Jazz will have to find out.
One thing’s already certain: A team that was dead in December is alive in April. In a way nobody could have imagined, let alone expected.
“We feel pretty good,” Favors said. “But we have work to do.”
GORDON MONSON hosts “The Big Show” weekdays from 3-7 p.m. on 97.5 FM and 1280 AM The Zone.