This season, the Utah Jazz have developed a certain resiliency as part of their identity, often turning close games in the second half to double-digit victories. Monday night against Charlotte proved to be no different.
After a late run by the Hornets had Utah trailing deep in the fourth quarter, the Jazz responded with a run of their own to emerge with a 112-102 win.
“I thought the second quarter we weren’t in sync the way that we were for the other three quarters,” head coach Quin Snyder said. “For them to take a lead and for us to dig in defensively and keep playing the right way. … I just liked our mental toughness in the second half.”
Utah appeared on cruise control when a Rudy Gobert dunk gave the Jazz an 89-72 lead with 8:28 left. But Charlotte and its second-ranked offense found a rhythm, reeling off a 20-2 run to take a one-point lead and all the momentum with just 3:30 to play.
After spending two timeouts during Charlotte’s run, Snyder elected to let his veteran team play through its first deficit since the opening minute of the game — and that was precisely the right move.
Mike Conley ignited a 15-3 run over the next two minutes with a three-point play on the following possession. Bojan Bogdanovic hit back-to-back three-pointers, and Donovan Mitchell added another and-one to put the Hornets away in the end.
“It’s better to win this way,” Bogdanovic said when asked about the comeback win.
On a night when the Jazz struggled shooting the ball, he was sensational throughout the game. He finished with 23 points, shooting 8-of-15 from the floor and 5-for-11 from beyond the arc, and a game-high +19 rating.
With Bogdanovic handling business for the Jazz on the perimeter, Gobert was even more dominant down in the paint.
He finished with his first 20-20 performance of the season when he totaled 23 points and 21 rebounds, adding two assists and one block for good measure. Although he had one of his toughest shooting nights of the season, Gobert was phenomenal from the free throw line, finishing with a career-high 15-of-16 showing from the charity stripe.
“I think the biggest thing is that he got to the line 16 times,” Snyder said of Gobert. “I think that shows his balance and his patience. He’s not just trying to get it up to the rim, he’s more conscious of where his defender is.”
Gobert would’ve had significantly more assists on the night, but the Jazz struggled shooting from the floor as a whole. They finished 35.4% (34-for-96) from the field and 30.2% (16-for-53) from three-point territory, ranking among their poorest of the season.
But a struggling offense can be overcome with a sensational defense, and that’s what the Jazz had against the Hornets.
Despite Charlotte entering tied for the NBA-high with Utah in points per game while ranking No. 2 in highest-rated offense, the Jazz made life insanely difficult for LaMelo Ball and company.
Utah held the Hornets to 38.6% (39-for-101) from the field and 34.9% (15-for-43) from three-point territory.
After back-to-back losses, the Jazz began the game like a team on a mission.
Charlotte got the scoring started with a pair of Miles Bridges free throws on their opening possession. But that would be the last time Utah would trail until late in the fourth quarter.
Mitchell and Bogdanovic hit back-to-back three-pointers, igniting a 24-4 run as the two of them combined for 17 points early on. The Jazz led 35-16 after the first quarter.
But from that point on, Charlotte would slowly battle back into the game, trimming Utah’s lead to 54-41 at the half.
The Hornets cut Utah’s lead to six points before Jordan Clarkson caught fire late, hitting back-to-back three-pointers over the final 38 seconds. The personal 6-0 run gave the Jazz an 80-68 advantage through three quarters, setting the stage for the thrilling finish.
“I liked the way we kept playing,” Gobert said. “We kept playing the right way, kept trusting each other. … We were able to make the shots and make the right play at the right time.”
Mitchell added 21 points, six rebounds, and six assists, while Conley chipped in 14 points, four assists, and six rebounds. Royce O’Neale scored just three points but was sensational defensively, finishing with 13 rebounds and a +18 rating.
Clarkson had 11 points while Joe Ingles, who scored his 5,000th career point in the third quarter, had six points, five rebounds, and four assists in just 26 minutes.
Utah continues its homestand when it faces the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. MST.