SALT LAKE CITY — Three thoughts on the Jazz's 103-90 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves from KSL.com's Utah Jazz beat writer, Andy Larsen.

1. Jazz turn it on defensively in the second half

The first half was a little bit of a nightmare for the Jazz defensively. They allowed 55 points in those 24 minutes to a Timberwolves team that is 22nd in the NBA offensively, something that didn't please Quin Snyder.

"The first quarter, especially, were offensive rebounds and transition baskets," Snyder said. "We weren't rebounding the ball and we weren't getting back."

Snyder also clearly was upset with how the pick and roll defense was working for the Jazz, as they kept allowing open rim-runs and shots for the Timberwolves. Snyder tried to make adjustments in the first quarter, but it's a little bit difficult to do on the fly, especially as the team had to make substitutions due to foul trouble and to keep the offense flowing.

At halftime, though, those "subtle adjustments" could really take effect. The Wolves scored just 14 points in the third quarter, which let the Jazz go on a 14-0 run to mostly seal the game at the end of the period.

I will say, though, that the Wolves substitutions gave the Jazz some help. During that 14-0 run, Minnesota mostly played a lineup of Zach Lavine, Tayshaun Prince, Shabazz Muhammad, Nemanja Bjelica, and Nikola Pekovic. Average PER of those five players: 10.5. Average RPM of those players: -2.74. For those unfamiliar with those advanced stats, those are very bad numbers.

Essentially, by inserting that lineup into the game, Wolves coach Sam Mitchell was begging the Jazz to go on a run. That they did, with some big plays from Trevor Booker, Trey Burke, and Derrick Favors.

While I'm attacking Mitchell, it's also worth noting that Minnesota's fear of shooting and making 3-point shots was very helpful to the Jazz during the game. Going just 2-10 from beyond the arc is going to make it very, very difficult to win basketball games in the modern era.

2. Karl-Anthony Towns fantastic.

Karl-Anthony Towns, last year's number one draft pick and current rookie sensation, is a fantastic basketball player that deserves every bit of your attention.

Tonight, he put up 32 points on only 17 shots from the field. He hit a 3-pointer, where he's shot 38 percent for the season. He picked up 12 rebounds, including five offensive ones. He outplayed the Jazz's big men in the first quarter, and the Jazz never really figured out how to stop him beyond preventing his teammates from getting him the ball.

And yet, Towns was down on his own play after the loss.

"I played like crap today. I didn't play well at all defensively. Offensively I was fine, it was just spots. It was my teammates that gave me points, I didn't get myself points."

"I played terrible so they were scoring. I couldn't do anything. I was like a brick out there for my team tonight so I'm a little upset. I should have done more for us."

Whoa. Usually, after a great performance like that, a rookie will be feeling positive about his game, even if the result didn't work out. But Towns wants more. He wants to be a game-changer on both ends of the floor, and won't be happy until he is. That's an incredible perspective for a 20-year-old rookie. He's going to be great.

3. Jazz get starting lineup back

For the first time since November 30th, the Jazz started their preferred starting lineup tonight: Raul Neto, Rodney Hood, Gordon Hayward, Favors, and Rudy Gobert.

That lineup has been remarkably successful: beating opponents by an average of 10.8 points per 100 possessions. It's got a really nice balance of skills: Neto and his playmaking and point guard defense, Hood and Hayward and their pick and roll scoring and playmaking skills, Favors and Gobert being effective roll-men and working off each other in the high-low.

Even more important is having five effective defenders together on the floor. NBA teams have become more mean at exploiting poor defenders with screens, something that the Jazz witnessed first hand with Enes Kanter on the roster. But with those five players, the Jazz don't give opponents any easy opportunities to get a basket to break a run, like the 14-0 one that won the Jazz the game.

That's a consideration when looking at the Jazz's attitude towards the trade market this February. The starting lineup, if healthy, is working, but maybe upgrading the Jazz's bench would allow the team to be as successful as envisioned.

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