The Triple Team: 3 thoughts on Jazz vs. Clippers


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LOS ANGELES — Three thoughts on the Jazz's 108-95 loss to the LA Clippers from KSL.com's Utah Jazz beat writer, Andy Larsen.

1. Jazz start slow again

The Jazz were outscored in the first quarter 28-14 tonight, getting out to a slow start in the early game. Given how important the Jazz knew this game was and the multiple days the team had in getting ready for the contest, it's really puzzling that the Jazz didn't come out with urgency.

"They were more aggressive than us at the beginning of the game," head coach Quin Snyder said. They had more physicality, they knocked us back."

That's really been a trend for the Jazz in March. Here's a list of all of the games they've played this month, and whether they were beaten out of the gate.

  • at Clippers: 25-10 deficit
  • vs. Knicks: 25-13 deficit
  • at Pacers: 24-14 deficit
  • at Bulls: Jazz got out to a good start! 23-16 lead after 1.
  • at Cavaliers: 27-18 deficit
  • at Pistons: Jazz got out to a good start! 28-19 lead after 1.
  • vs. Clippers: 10-2 deficit
  • at Thunder: 24-16 deficit
  • at Rockets: Jazz got out to a good start! 30-22 lead after 1.
  • vs. Pelicans: Jazz got out to a good start! 29-14 lead after 1.
  • at Kings: 25-17 deficit
  • vs. Nets: Jazz got out to a good start! 38-26 lead after 1.
  • vs. Timberwolves: 20-12 deficit
So in eight of the 13 games so far this month, the Jazz have gotten out to deficits of eight points or greater in the first quarter. It's actually sort of impressive that they've ended up with a 7-6 record in the month given how frequently they've gotten out to a slow start.

This hasn't really been a problem all season long. They're 10th in the NBA in first quarter scoring margin, certainly not horrendous.

Honestly, it seems like the Jazz sometimes jog through the game at the beginning. Yeah, they're running the plays, but when they're executed at 90 percent, the Jazz can't get an advantage to get good shots inside, especially against fresh opposing starting units.

That being said, the stats show that the Jazz's biggest problem recently in these stretches is the defense, not the offense. That's easier to control: the Jazz need to more aggressively contest shots, try to force turnovers, and generally not rely on Rudy Gobert's defense to change everything.

Speaking of Gobert, he wasn't happy after the game. "One team came out ready, and the other team didn't come out as ready," said Gobert. It's easy to know which team was which.

Update: Gobert really wasn't happy. As he told ESPN: "We've got guys that compete, but some of us don't compete. Some of us just think about scoring. That's what it is."

2. Backcourt woes

Everyone in the backcourt but Shelvin Mack is healthy enough to play for the Jazz right now, but production has been lacking.

We'll start with George Hill, who only had nine points (4-11 shooting), one assist, and four turnovers in 32 minutes against the Clippers. Hill is clearly well short of 100% physically: he's not playing with any bounce, and is getting points through veteran tricks, not his usual explosion. At one point, Hill crouched down during a timeout and clearly was in pain as the trainers looked on. I'm not sure if it was a hip or a groin injury, but it clearly impacted his play for the rest of the game.

That being said, if he can't play with athleticism, he has to make smarter decisions. Hill's usually very good at this, but that wasn't the case Saturday. Four turnovers is high for him, first of all. But Hill also struggled when bigs switched out on him, calling his own number and finding his shot blocked when there were other options.

On defense, Hill did nice work on Chris Paul, certainly. But against Austin Rivers or even Raymond Felton, Hill allowed drives to the basket too easily. Again, this probably comes back to the injury: he's just struggling with straight drives at times. The Jazz were outscored by 29 points when Hill was in the game today, and while that number is probably too harsh, it reflects the reality that he wasn't always impacting the game in a positive way.

Rodney Hood is also not playing at 100 percent, still clearly bothered by his knee injury. Like Hill, he also had nine points (4-13 shooting), and added four rebounds and two steals, and no assists or turnovers.

The big question mark with Hood has always been whether or not is secondary skills can be good enough when his shot isn't going down. Right now, the answer hasn't been yes. In particular, his defense this year has been inconsistent. Sometimes, Hood does a great job of navigating screens, chasing guys like J.J. Redick around the floor. And sometimes, players like Rivers and Jamal Crawford find more success than they should on simple straight-line drives.

It's probably mostly dependent on his knee, and you can tell he's been frustrated by it. He picked up only the fourth technical foul of his career Sunday when he cursed out an official after a missed call.

So, yes, there are understandable reasons for it. But the Jazz need more production from their backcourt to be able to keep pace over the season's final nine games.

3. Still figuring out rotations

Clearly, the Jazz are still figuring out their playing rotations, even though the end of the season is so near. With all of the players they've had in and out of the lineup, they haven't been able to find continuity from anyone.

"We're a team that's still finding out who to play, who to play together," Snyder said. "The thing we need to do is defend as we find out what works for us."

Even though the Jazz struggled in the first quarter, a huge third quarter run brought them all the way back to tie the game. But at that point, it was time for Rudy Gobert to head to the bench, having played 11 third-quarter minutes and at 29 minutes for the game.

Then, things fell apart. Jeff Withey couldn't handle Marreese Speights at the perimeter, so Snyder put in Boris Diaw, who couldn't handle Speights inside. Alec Burks wasn't doing anything offensively, and struggled defensively with Jamal Crawford. The Clippers immediately went on a 10-0 run, and got control of the game back nearly instantly after losing it.

Favors coming back should immediately help the bench interior defense, but the Jazz need some perimeter urgency there too. Snyder has been keeping Hill in with the backups recently to try to hold the line, but that certainly didn't work tonight.

The defense is why Raul Neto is playing, by the way. The Jazz allowed just 95 points per 100 possessions with him in the game tonight, compared to 117 points per 100 with Burks in the game and 121 points per 100 for Hill. Snyder is looking for defensive intensity anywhere he can find it, and right now, the only perimeter player regularly showing that is Neto, despite his huge size disadvantage.

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