“Attack In Space” | Battle Of The Bests When Utah Faces Boston | Utah Jazz

When Utah walked off the court on Monday night at the Barclays Center, there were many ways to deduct what had just taken place.

The Jazz suffered a loss to the Nets in a game they appeared a half-step slow in. While they kept it close early, Brooklyn pulled away with a dominant third quarter en route to the victory.

But upon further glance, it makes sense that the Jazz were a little sluggish after playing at Madison Square Garden the night before. Yet somehow, Utah rallied over the final six minutes, turning a 19-point deficit to six with just under a minute to play.

“It seemed like guys were everywhere. … We have to have that energy and urgency earlier,” Mike Conley said of Utah’s push in the end.

“Our offense didn’t help our defense tonight,” head coach Quin Snyder said postgame. “We didn’t seem to have the energy that we needed trying to get out and run.”

“We have to have that energy and urgency earlier.” #TakeNote

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) March 22, 2022

Although the Jazz had their three-game winning streak ended, there’s no doubting how well the team has been playing of late. 

They’re 15-6 since the calendar flipped to February, the fifth-best record in the league since then. And that’s come without a fully healthy squad as starters Bojan Bogdanovic and Conley and key reserves Danuel House Jr., Trent Forrest, and Hassan Whiteside have all missed time since then. 

Unfortunately, Utah will be facing the team with the best record since Feb. 1st when they take on another title contender in Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night — tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. MST.

“They’re [Boston] really a good team, and they’ve found a chemistry,” Snyder said Monday night. “Between Marcus Smart’s leadership, and (Jayson) Tatum and (Jaylen) Brown both playing off one another at various times in the game and obviously defensively, they’ve been terrific.”

The Jazz are still expected to be shorthanded as Bogdanovic and House are still out with various ailments — but Utah still has Donovan Mitchell, Jordan Clarkson, and Conley — a three-headed monster who’s spearheaded this turnaround over the last month and a half. 

And it’s not over yet #ByTheNumbers | @Qualtrics pic.twitter.com/NrK46n2MsV

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) March 21, 2022

During that time period, Mitchell is averaging 27 points and six assists while Clarkson is putting up 17.9 points. Conley has overcome some shooting woes to average 17.3 points on 52.5% shooting from three-point territory in his last four games, giving the Jazz a legitimate three-person punch in the backcourt. 

While those three have been stellar of late, it won’t be easy going up against what’s widely viewed as the top defense in the NBA. Boston’s length and tenacity has spearheaded their recent run, quietly making them legitimate contenders to emerge from the Eastern Conference. 

But the Jazz know how to be successful against a team with that much length, having faced and found success against a similar team in the Phoenix Suns. 

“Get stops, get out in transition, don’t let them set their defense,” Mitchell said of the game plan. “We don’t have the tallest backcourt, so being able to attack in space, make sure we’re spacing for our threes. … Got to be able to get downhill and create, find guys and take our open shots.”

“In a game like that, we’re going to need to move the ball quickly and effectively in order to shift their defense and be able to attack against their length,” Snyder added.

Ocho, Rudy, and Spida dunk in this one #InstantRewind | @socios pic.twitter.com/22FUnZvZZ5

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) March 22, 2022

STATS
Utah (45-27, 19-16 away / No. 4 Western Conference)
Offense
*113.9 Points Per Game (No. 6 in NBA)
*116.2 Offensive Rating (No. 1 in NBA)

Defense
*107.3 Points Per Game (No. 9 in NBA)
*109.5 Defensive Rating (No. 9 in NBA)

*Donovan Mitchell: 26.0 points / 5.4 assists / 4.2 rebounds / 1.5 steals
*Rudy Gobert: 15.4 points / 14.5 rebounds / 2.2 blocks / 71.2% shooting 
*Jordan Clarkson: 16.2 points / 3.4 rebonds / 2.3 assists
*Mike Conley: 13.5 points / 5.3 assists / 40.6% 3P-shooting

Boston (45-28, 24-12 home / No. 4 Eastern Conference)
Offense
*110.2 Points Per Game (No. 16 in NBA)
*112.2 Offensive Rating (No. 11 in NBA)

Defense
*103.8 Points Per Game (No. 1 in NBA)
*105.8 Defensive Rating (No. 1 in NBA)

*Jayson Tatum: 27.0points / 8.2 rebounds / 4.3 assists 
*Jaylen Brown: 23.2 points / 6.1 rebounds / 3.2 assists
*Marcus Smart: 12.1 points / 5.7 assists / 3.9 rebounds

MATCHUP TO WATCH
*Donovan Mitchell vs. Marcus Smart
— No disrespect to the talents of Tatum and Brown, but Smart is Boston’s most valuable player duet his ability on the defensive end. Regardless of size (for the most part), Smart often defends the opposing teams best player and does a great job. That’s why Mitchell’s performance will go a long way into deciding this outcome. If he doesn’t let Smart’s antics get to him and constantly attacks the rim, the Jazz could find themselves on top in the end. 

INJURY REPORT
Utah
OUT — Udoka Azubuike (right ankle sprain)
OUT — Bojan Bogdanovic (left calf strain)
OUT — Danuel House (left knee bone bruise)

Boston
PROBABLE — Marcus Smart (Non-COVID Illness)
PROBABLE — Robert Williams III (Right Knee Tendinopathy)
OUT — Malik Fitts (G League – On Assignment)
OUT — Aaron Nesmith (G League – On Assignment)
OUT — Matt Ryan (G League – Two-Way)
OUT — Nik Stauskas (G League – On Assignment)
OUT — Brodric Thomas (G League –  Two-Way)

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Time: 5:30 p.m. MST
Location: TD Garden / Boston, MA
TV: AT&T SportsNet
Radio: 1280 The Zone