In their return to the court on Friday night against a dominant Luka Doncic, Utah played better down the stretch to come out on top. Behind star efforts from Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, Utah took down Dallas 114-109, giving themselves a 2.5 game lead on the Mavericks in the standings.
"This was a significant win for us," head coach Quin Snyder said.
Here are five things to know following the win:
1.) Utah Comes Up ClutchIn one of the more odd statistics of the season, Utah, one of the most veteran teams in the NBA, has struggled more than expected in clutch-time situations. The Jazz would often find themselves with considerable leads in the second half only to fall apart late due to a lack of execution and other reasoning.
"There is a point when we've had opportunities to push away and break open a game," Snyder said recently. "That's the point where we've got to recognize and feel the game and play those possessions with more focus and more recognition of that point in the game and how pivotal it is."
Utah had no issue with that on Friday night.
Going up against one of the elite defenses in the league and arguably the most clutch player in the game, the Jazz were the superior team down the stretch.
Mitchell and Gobert fueled that charge by doing things they're not accustomed to: Mitchell served as playmaker rather than scorer, and Gobert did his best work defensively away from the rim.
Their unselfishness helped open things up for everyone else.
Bojan Bogdanovic had the game's biggest shot when he drilled a three-pointer with 1:29 to play, giving Utah a lead it wouldn't relinquish. He scored on a pass from Royce O'Neale, but Mitchell unselfishly passed out of a double-team to take advantage of the mismatch, one of three "hockey assists" in the clutch.
"I always want the ball in the clutch," Bogdanovic said with a laugh postgame.
Gobert took on defending Doncic on the perimeter and more than held the all-NBA guard in check. Doncic went 0-for-5 in the final three minutes, with Gobert blocking one shot and forcing him into tough, contested ones in the others.
"Sometimes you get better at the end of the game," Snyder said. "It's kind of what we were saying about learning from each game. … Just fundamentally, I thought we were really focused tonight."
2.) Donovan Mitchell Goes From Scorer To PasserA lot has already been talked about Mitchell's evolution on the offensive end. Whether it be becoming more efficient, cutting down on turnovers, or serving as a playmaker, Mitchell has proven that he's continued to take the next step in his game.
Against Dallas, he continued those steps moving forward.
Down two with just over two minutes to play, Mitchell took over as the primary contributor despite having a game-high 33 points. His penetration, ability to dissect the defense, and pass out of double teams led to a 7-0 run as Utah put the game away.
It would've been understandable if Mitchell, who was highly efficient shooting the ball on the night, wanted to be the one to put the nail in Dallas' coffin.
Make no mistake, Mitchell did put the nail in the coffin — he just did so in a different way than usual.
The Mavericks wanted to make sure that Mitchell wasn't the one to beat them, so three times, they threw double-teams at the all-star, and three times he beat them. He ignited Utah's late 7-0 run with "hockey assists," being the passer before the passer.
"That just goes with the trust I have in my teammates. … They trust me to go out there and make plays," Mitchell said. "As much as I want to take the shot, at the end of the day we have four other guys who can make the shot, make the right read, make the right play. It's all about trust, so it makes my life a lot easier."
3.) Rudy Gobert Rises To OccasionFollowing Luka Doncic's three-pointer with just over three minutes to play had the Jazz down by two, it became apparent what Dallas head coach Jason Kidd had in mind for his offense down the stretch. He wanted to isolate Gobert on Doncic, believing his all-NBA guard would consistently get the better of the Utah big man enough times to get the win.
The reigning defensive player of the year had other ideas — and proved why he's well on his way to winning his third straight award.
For years, Gobert has been the center of a lot of talk regarding how he can't defend on the perimeter — even if the numbers have always been slightly in his favor. That wasn't the case as not only did Gobert stand up to Doncic's physicality, he was able to stay in front of the quicker guard and never let him have a clean lane to the hoop.
"The numbers have been in my favor. … The perception has never matched the numbers," Gobert said. "It was a physical game, but Luka always pushes. So if they're not going to call that, then they shouldn't call anything else. I didn't think there was enough contact to call a foul."
"He (Luka) knows I'm trying to take away his stepback," he added. "Then he's driving and I know he's going to try to use my body and then stop, so I've got to stay balanced and absorb the contact. Then he's going to try and get me in the air, so I've got to stay down."
4.) Role Players Prove Vital In VictoryWhile Mitchell and Gobert were dominant, there's no way Utah pulls out the victory if it wasn't for the entire team's play.
Bogdanovic had the key three-pointer late, finishing second on the team with 18 points. Mike Conley was dominant in controlling the game — and held up well when defending Doncic — finishing with 15 points, six rebounds, five assists, and three steals. O'Neale, who took the primary assignment of guarding Doncic, was a pest in the best of ways all night and finished with nine points, four rebounds, four assists.
Jordan Clarkson gave the Jazz the boost they needed off the bench, finishing with 13 points. Although he struggled shooting the ball, he was constantly engaged throughout the game on both ends of the court and kept the offense in rhythm. Hassan Whiteside added eight rebounds and some much-needed physicality and edge for the Jazz.
But it was the play of Trent Forrest and Danuel House Jr. that really helped propel Utah forward.
Forrest finished with four points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals in 15 minutes. He constantly checked Doncic on defense and provided stability and ball-handling on offense when in the game.
House, who's coming off a string of bad luck with a broken finger and health and safety protocols, knocked down two huge three-pointers and relentlessly attacked the rim when in. But it was his defense on Doncic that earned the most praise, and his length and strength proved to be a tricky matchup for the big-time guard from Dallas.
"The sacrifices that all of our guys made at various times in the game for the greater good. … I was really happy with our effort against a team that's as good as anybody in the league right now," Snyder said.
5.) Let The Road Trip BeginThe Jazz have very little time to enjoy the victory as they're now hitting the road for a five-game trip that will take them away from Vivint Arena and into the southwest.
The trip begins on one of the league's most prominent stages throughout the regular season, a primetime game against the league-leading Phoenix Suns on ABC. Even with Chris Paul sidelined by injury, the Suns are still dangerous, aided by the return of Deandre Ayton.
Utah will then face Houston, New Orleans, and Oklahoma City, three teams ranked in the bottom four of the Western Conference standings. Finally, the trip wraps up with another showdown against Doncic and Dallas, a game that would clinch the season series over the Mavericks.
Sitting 2.5 games up on the Mavericks and just three games behind Memphis in the standings, fourth place Utah has a chance to set the tone for the final part of the season away from the comfortable confines of home.