It wasn't the prettiest of starts for Utah on Monday night.
Although the offense continued to play at a high level, the Jazz struggled on the defensive end for the first two and half quarters. But then something happened — a switch flipped and Utah began establishing its presence on defense.
The result was a 139-116 victory over the Lakers, the second time they've defeated Los Angeles in four days and their third straight win overall.
"I thought in the first half our defense was lacking," head coach Will Hardy said. "Our physicality was not very good. … Our communication and execution of the scheme was not very good. But credit to our guys. … They dug in at halftime, upped the physicality and the energy aggressiveness on the defensive end, and continued to move the ball on offense.
Here are five things to know following the win:
1.) Pregame Message
Before any offensive fireworks got underway, veteran point guard Mike Conley grabbed the mic and delivered a passionate pregame message to Jazz Nation and everyone watching at home.
"We urge you all to get out and vote," he said. "Tomorrow (Nov. 8) is election day. … We can all create change together, and it all starts with a vote."
Conley spoke diligently and intently when giving his message, expressing the importance of voting.
As part of a larger initiative with the 29 other teams in the NBA, every team was in action on Monday night to have Tuesday off. Teams throughout the league have been promoting voting options on Election Day, and the Jazz have done more than their fair share over the past month to help bring awareness so everyone's voice may be heard.
2.) Buzzer Beaters
It's one thing for an offense to execute throughout 48 minutes. It takes time and rhythm for a team to be firing on all cylinders.
It's quite another to execute in the most significant moments, primarily at the end of quarters when the momentum is available for the taking.
What Utah did on Monday night was sensational — even by their lofty and impressive offensive numbers. They drilled three buzzer-beaters on the night, ending the first, second, and third quarters with big buckets that gave them all the momentum and energized the crowd at Vivint Arena.
Jordan Clarkson nailed a three-pointer in the first quarter, Lauri Markkanen followed up with an and-one bucket right before the half, and Rudy Gay drilled a corner three-pointer to end the third.
3.) Cold-Blooded Revenge
When asked postgame if there was any extra incentive playing against his former team on Monday night, Talen Horton-Tucker simply said "no." That's the answer you'd expect from a "veteran" in the league.
So when he was asked about his dunk over former teammate Damian Jones in the third quarter, THT couldn't help but show his youth at 21. While he still gave the same answer, saying he would've done that against anyone, he couldn't help but smile and laugh when asked.
Regardless of his response, THT played his best game in a Utah uniform when he finished with a season-high 15 points and a +19 rating, adding three rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
Whether it was his shooting from deep (1-for-3) or his ridiculous dunks in transition, THT continues to be the spark Utah needs to help run its second unit.
4.) First Place
Raise your hand if you predicted that the Jazz would own the best record in the Western Conference a week into November.
If you raised your hand, you're either a liar, or I sincerely hope you purchased a Powerball ticket for the $1.9 billion prize.
If you didn't raise your hand, then by all means revel in the joy of knowing that Utah is looking like a legitimate playoff contender.
Either way, the Jazz currently sit at 9-3 on the season with victories over Denver, New Orleans, Minnesota, LA Clippers, Lakers (2x), and Memphis (2x). That's eight wins over teams that were all predicted to at least make the play-in tournament, if not the playoffs outright.
There's no shortchanging Utah's schedule. They're the only team in the NBA to play 12 games thus far, seven of which have come on the road — they've already played three sets of back-to-backs (most in the league).
It's too premature to say that the Jazz will end the season as one of the best teams in the league — or even make the playoffs. But until then, Jazz Nation should continue to enjoy the ride.
5.) Road Trip Continued
Although Monday's game was technically at the comfortable confines of Vivint Arena, the Jazz viewed it as just another stop on their two-week road trip.
Following their victory over Memphis on Halloween night, the Jazz played the next three games on the road: Mavericks, Lakers, and Clippers. They returned home for Monday's win over the Lakers (again), and now head back out on the road for three more games. Utah takes on Atlanta on Wednesday before a brutal back-to-back against Washington and Philadelphia this weekend.
Utah knew this was going to be one of the roughest road trips of the season, which is why they're treating it as such even if they got to sleep into their beds for just one night.
"I mean, it's nice that we get to sleep in our own beds and see our families for one night, but it's just like a long road trip," Markkanen said. "We love playing in front of our home crowd, but this is life sometimes so you just got to keep going with it. We're excited to get back on the road and keep playing."