“We Have To Have That Energy And Urgency Earlier” | Fatigue Plays Role In Tough Loss | Utah Jazz

You can tell a lot about a team’s character when their back is against the wall — and that’s the exact situation Utah found themselves in on Monday night against Brooklyn.

Trailing by 19 with just six minutes to play — and on the second end of a back-to-back, nobody would’ve blamed the Jazz if they emptied the bench, licked their wounds, and moved on to Wednesday’s game.

But that’s not who Utah is. That’s not their identity. That’s not what’s made them one of the best teams in the league over the past couple of seasons.

With their starters remaining in the game, the Jazz battled back to make it a six-point game with under a minute to play. But that was as close as they’d get, eventually falling 114-106 to the Nets on Monday night.

“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.”

Don: 30p | 3r | 3a | 5 3pm
JC: 19p | 6r | 3s | 4 3pm
Mike: 18p | 2r | 7a | 1s
Rudy: 11p | 4r | 1a⁰Ocho: 9p | 3r | 1a
Hassan: 6p | 5r | 1b
Jared: 5p | 2r | 1s
Trent: 4p | 2r | 3a | 2s | 2b
Royce: 2p | 8r | 3a | 1s | 3b
Juancho: 2p | 2r | 1a | 1b#TakeNote | @getcoinzoom pic.twitter.com/nJlRJplsVe

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) March 22, 2022

After an emotional homecoming 24 hours ago when he dropped 37 points against the New York Knicks, Donovan Mitchell somehow found another gear in the second half against Brooklyn to lead the comeback.

Although it wasn’t his best shooting night, Mitchell did what he does best and continued to battle, finishing with 30 points, three rebounds, and three assists.

It was an impressive effort considering the emotions from the night before and going up against the league’s most prolific scorer in Kevin Durant. But Mitchell did his best to match him step for step, scoring 10 points in the final six minutes to make it a game.

| Donovan led the way in scoring, including 5 threes #TakeNote | @ZionsBank pic.twitter.com/A32HnkciGi

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) March 22, 2022

After not playing against the Knicks due to right knee maintenance, Conley looked well-rested and played well against the Nets. He came out firing early, scoring Utah’s first five points as he was moving very well in conjunction with Rudy Gobert.

In the end, Conley finished with 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting and 3-for-5 from three-point territory, adding seven assists, two steals, and two rebounds.

There’s no doubt that Conley will be relied upon to play heavy minutes in the playoffs, something that has alluded him the past couple of seasons due to injuries. But if Monday was any indication, he’s more than ready for the opportunity as he begins to ramp up his time on the court.

this felt like a good one to slow down,,, a little#SloMoPlay | @udo_llc pic.twitter.com/HaEeTZq3jz

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) March 22, 2022

Despite returning to action so quickly, the Jazz came out with impressive efficiency on both ends of the court. Trailing by three early, Utah responded with a 7-0 run, eventually leading 28-25 following a Jordan Clarkson three-pointer with 15 seconds left.

But the second and third quarters are where Utah’s fatigue set in.

Offensively the Jazz struggled to cut with strength and were often pushed off their marks by the well-rested Nets. The more physical Brooklyn got, the more Utah struggled, and it showed as the Jazz put up just 23 points in the second.

But their defense kept them in the game, as Utah led by six with 3:01 to play in the half. However, Durant kickstarted an 8-0 run with a pair of buckets as the Jazz went into the break trailing 53-51.

The third quarter belonged to Brooklyn as Utah was clearly a step behind in every facet. Durant and Nic Claxton combined for 26 points as the Nets outscored the Jazz 38-24, taking a 16-point lead into the final 12 minutes.

Rudy Gay was a saving grace early in the fourth quarter as anytime it appeared the Nets would pull away, he responded, scoring seven points in the frame to keep the Jazz within striking distance.

Ultimately, Utah dug themselves into too deep of a hole and, despite the furious comeback, came up short in the end.

can confirm: clarkson is a bucket #Pura3Pointer | @pura pic.twitter.com/GJFxR1dEZ6

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) March 22, 2022

Clarkson continued his impressive play with 19, six rebounds, and three steals, while Gay continues to round into form with nine points and three rebounds.

Brooklyn clearly had a game plan entering Monday night, and that was to keep Gobert off the glass — and they excepted to perfection. They held the league’s leading rebounder to 11 points and a season-low four rebounds.

Durant finished with 37 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists, while Bruce Brown added 22 points, seven rebounds, and five assists.

Utah continues its road trip when it faces the hottest team in the league in the Boston Celtics. The good news is that they’ll have Tuesday off before returning to action on Wednesday night — tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. MST.