facebook-pixel

Jazz’s determination to keep shooting threes — even after early misses — pays off in Game 4 win over Thunder

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz forward Joe Ingles (2) rUtah Jazz guard Ricky Rubio (3) and Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell (45) celebrate a huge Jazz lead in the 4th quarter, in game 4, NBA playoff action between Utah Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder, in Salt Lake City, Monday April 23, 2018.

The Jazz didn’t give Joe Ingles time to feel sorry for himself.

In what turned into a 113-96 romp over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Monday night’s Game 4 at Vivint Smart Home Arena, the shooting in the first half offered tense moments.

Ingles, Utah’s best shooter, missed his first four 3-point looks. They were all wide open. None of his shots were contested. But, his teammates all told him to stop hesitating.

And, that turned into a metaphor for Utah’s night.

The Jazz finished 12-of-34 from 3-point range, which includes Ingles making five of them. The mindset was the same. They felt like, at some point, shots were going to fall as a team.

“These guys, they were great,” Ingles said. “They told me to keep shooting.”

Utah began the game shooting 3-of-14 from deep. But, that didn’t discourage the Jazz, because they were receiving the looks from the perimeter that they wanted. At some point, the Jazz felt their ball-movement would be rewarded with makes.

“We felt that eventually, we would make some shots,” Utah coach Quin Snyder said. “We hit some timely ones in the second half. And our defense, we felt it was solid enough to give us the opportunity to get some more looks.”

Just as important as the 3-point makes, the Jazz’ 3-point defense was the best it’s been all series. Utah limited the Thunder to 5-of-26 from beyond the arc. They did so by making sure to contest almost every Oklahoma City jumper.

Once the Jazz forced the Thunder inside of the arc, they were able to contest shots at the rim. Yes, Oklahoma City found its way to the free-throw line 30 times. But the Jazz also forced the Thunder into 39 percent shooting from the field, to go along with the 19 percent shooting from deep.

Nobody from OKC was exempt. Paul George, who went 8-of-11 from three in Game 1, was 2-of-9. Carmelo Anthony missed all six of his 3-point attempts. Russell Westbrook missed all three of his. Only Alex Abrines and Corey Brewer shot well. They combined for three of OKC’s makes.

Essentially, the Jazz forced the Thunder into one area of the floor. Utah conceded mid-range shots, but they shut off the paint and the perimeter, which is difficult to do against a team as talented and athletic as Oklahoma City.

“We tried to contest every shot,” Jazz forward Derrick Favors said. “We knew they wanted to make shots, or get to the basket and we wanted to defend that. They just didn’t get every open shot that they were used to getting.”