Another slow start. Another strong third quarter. Another win.
Utah erased a 12-point first-half deficit to claim a 100-94 victory over the Pistons in Salt Lake City Monday night. The Jazz (24-21) have now won four straight, and six of their last seven games. And they've been playing with fire—relying on second-half comebacks in four of those six wins.
"I think right now we are doing the things we're supposed to do defensively, and it fuels us," Rudy Gobert said after the game.
Utah outscored Detroit 47-35 in the second half while allowing the Pistons to shoot only 38.9 percent for the game.
Donovan Mitchell, who was named the Western Conference Player of the Week earlier Monday, led all scorers with 28 points. It was Mitchell's sixth straight game with at least 26 points.
Gobert had a monster night inside, scoring 18 points and tying his career high with 25 rebounds, while Kyle Korver came off the bench to score 19 points. Joe Ingles (13 points, eight assists) and Derrick Favors (10 points, eight rebounds) also scored in double figures in the win.
Rookie Grayson Allen scored eight points in 20 minutes for the shorthanded Jazz, who were still without Ricky Rubio (hamstring), Danté Exum (ankle), Raul Neto (foot) and Thabo Sefolosha (hamstring).
Blake Griffin scored a team-high 19 points (on 7-for-17 shooting) for the Pistons (18-24), while Andre Drummond double-doubled with 15 points, 13 rebounds and three steals in the loss.
Monday's Best
After a quiet first half, Gobert took over in the third quarter scoring 10 of his 18 points on an array of dunks and layups that kick-started Utah's offense when they were behind. Overall, The Stifle Tower finished with 18 points and 25 rebounds (his 36th double-double of the season) along with three assists and two blocks in 36 minutes.
Key Stretches
Utah fell behind 9-2 before responding with an 11-3 run. Ingles made a three from the top of the key and then Mitchell scored eight straight points—on a mid-range jumper and two 3-pointers—to give Utah a one-point lead. Korver added two 3-pointers to help keep the game close through rest of the quarter.
The Jazz, though, trailed for much of the second quarter—by as many as 12 before cutting the margin to six at halftime. And then they took over in the third quarter, opening the period on a 13-3 run. Mitchell scored five quick points while Gobert added four, including a forceful two-handed slam over Drummond that forced a Detroit timeout. After the break, Gobert drove in for a layup and then, after a turnover by Griffin, Favors put in a layup to give Utah a 66-62 lead. A block by Allen and three by Korver gave Utah a one-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Utah fell behind by five early in the fourth, but Allen rolled in a three and then then found Korver for a corner three to give the Jazz a one-point lead with 8:32 left in the game. Mitchell added a nifty layup on Utah's next possession to put the Jazz up by three.
Allen canned a three at the 6:41 mark of the fourth quarter ... and then the Jazz went cold. They didn't score until Mitchell made two free throws with 2:27 left, and they didn't make another field goal until Mitchell sliced in for a layup (while being fouled) with 48.9 seconds left. Mitchell made the free throw to put Utah up 95-89. After two free throws by Drummond, Ingles sealed the win when he hit nothing but net on a corner three—and then blew a kiss into the raucous crowd.
Significant Stats
10+
Utah shot 12-for-37 from beyond the arc, setting a new franchise record by making at least 10 3-pointers in 10 straight home games. Korver shot 5-for-11 from 3-point range, while Mitchell (3-for-7), Allen (2-for-5) and Ingles (2-for-6) also made multiple threes.
35
After allowing 31 points in the first quarter—and 59 by halftime—the Jazz buckled down and allowed only 35 points in the third and fourth quarters combined. Detroit shot only 30.0 percent from the field in the second half.
+17
The Jazz outrebounded the Pistons 55-38 and outscored them 12-5 in second-chance points.
Coach's Quote of the Night
Jazz head coach Quin Snyder
Notable
Ingles sprained his ankle late in the second quarter but returned to the game for the start of the second half. ... Drummond picked up a technical foul late in the fourth quarter. ... Jae Crowder's struggles continued and Utah's forward finished with two points on 0-for-6 shooting in 28 minutes off the bench. Crowder has shot 4-for-33 (12.1 percent) from 3-point range over his last six games. ... Griffin missed his first six 3-point attempts, but then he converted a four-point play late in the fourth quarter. ... Ish Smith (adductor) returned to the court after missing the last 19 games. He finished with eight points and a net rating of +6 in 19 minutes off the bench.
Up Next
The Jazz will travel to Los Angeles for a matchup with the Clippers on Wednesday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:30pm MT.
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