After lighting up the scoreboard for the past week, the Jazz cooled off significantly in Memphis on Wednesday night—and they still came out on top.
Utah put the clamps down on the defensive end, grinding their way to a hard-fought 92-88 win over the Grizzlies. Two garbage-time threes (including a 30-footer at the buzzer) made the score closer than it really was.
The Jazz (26-28) have now won seven straight games.
Ricky Rubio kept up his stellar play with a game-high 29 points, while Rodney Hood (18 points of the bench) was the only other Jazz player to score in double figures.
Rudy Gobert finished with eight points, 12 rebounds and two blocks in the win.
Andrew Harrison stuffed the stat sheet for the Grizzlies (18-36), finishing with 23 points, one rebound, four assists, two steals and two blocks. Marc Gasol added 20 points in the loss.
Wednesday's Best
Rubio not only led the Jazz in scoring, but he also made many of the plays that led to the win. He responded with a bucket four separate times after Memphis pulled within three points. He repeatedly got to the rim and was fouled (finishing 11-for-14 from the line). And he was consistenly disruptive on defense, drawing charges and getting his hands into passing lanes. Rubio added eight rebounds, three assists and three steals, and he's now averaging 24.0 points over his last five games.
Key Stretches
Utah started strong, using an 11-3 run to take a 15-7 lead just four minutes in. Joe Ingles canned a three, Rubio put in two buckets, and Mitchell scored on a transition layup. The Grizzlies would tie the game three separate times, but they never stole the lead from the Jazz.
The Jazz pulled ahead again with a 12-6 run early in the fourth quarter. Hood scored six of those points, while Raul Neto and Royce O'Neale got to the rim for layups. The Jazz proceeded to make a series of small winning plays down the stretch. Rubio took two charges, Gobert tipped out an offensive rebound, and Mitchell and Rubio made key buckets with the shot clock winding down.
Significant Stats
84.8
The Jazz embraced the game's physicality and went to the line 33 times, making 28 of those attempts (84.8 percent). Utah was especially strong in the fourth quarter, getting into the penalty early and shooting 14-for-17 (82.4 percent) to seal the win. The Grizzlies shot just 12-for-16 (75.0 percent) from the line.
+20
Led by Hood (18 points), Neto (eight points) and Joe Johnson (seven points), Utah's bench outscored Memphis' reserves 37-17.
Coach's Quote of the Night
Jazz head coach Quin Snyder
Notable
After topping 50 percent in each of their last four games, the Jazz shot only 6-for-22 (27.3 percent) from beyond the arc. ... Mitchell had nine points on 4-for-12 shooting. ... The Grizzlies have now held the Jazz under 100 points in 27 straight matchups. ... Memphis picked up four technical fouls—one on Gasol, two on interim head coach J.B. Bickerstaff (who was ejected) and another on Dillon Brooks (who was also ejected). ... The teams combined for 36 turnovers. ... Both teams shot 42.0 percent from the field.
Up Next
The Jazz will return home to face the Charlotte Hornets on Friday. Tipoff is set for 7:00pm MT.
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