SALT LAKE CITY — Three thoughts on the Jazz's 111-88 win over the Portland Trail Blazers from KSL.com's Utah Jazz beat writer, Andy Larsen.

1. Jazz hold Portland's explosive offense under wraps

Damian Lillard averages 26 points per game, and C.J. McCollum averages 23.5 points per game. That's nearly 50 points between them, nearly half of Portland's scoring. And both guards have averaged even more against Utah than their career averages: for whatever reason, the Jazz have struggled to defend them in previous matchups.

That wasn't the case tonight. The Jazz did a terrific job of taking away their easy looks and forcing them to hit hard shots from mid-range and off-balance while they were being defended. Lillard shot just 3-of-19 from the field for only 13 points, and McCollum scored 18 on 8-of-19 shooting. To be sure, usually they make more of even the difficult looks the Jazz forced them to take, but it was still a good performance.

What was the difference? Quin Snyder explained.

"The obvious is the guys on the ball, but our bigs, both Derrick and Rudy, I thought did as good a job as they've done just being in the right place, being active and being disciplined. I was really happy about those guys doing their job."

I also thought it was telling that, even up more than 20 points in the fourth quarter, Snyder didn't stay satisfied. Dante Exum and Rudy Gobert blew a coverage late, and Snyder immediately called a timeout and yelled at his players in the huddle. Of course, the Jazz have lost games with big leads this season, so staying focused while ahead has been an issue. Tonight, Snyder stayed on top of the problems, and it worked.

2. Dante Exum's aggressive game

Dante Exum was very good tonight, scoring 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting in 19:42 of play. He played well enough that Snyder even kept him in the game to play alongside George Hill at times.

All nine of Exum's shot attempts came inside of the arc, and only one was outside of 10 feet. I was really encouraged about how he finished at the rim: he didn't shy away from contact. That was especially true on this dunk:

Danté with the 🔨! Tonight's @AFCU Instant Rewind! ⏪#PORatUTApic.twitter.com/7MhvhJTugT — Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 16, 2017

This was in many ways the best possible matchup for Exum to get points: the Blazers have very, very bad guard defenders, and their big men are not rim protectors in the slightest. That means finishing tonight was as easy as it'll ever be. But for Exum to take advantage was a good sign.

There's still definite growth that needs to happen. I mentioned the defensive lapse above, for example. And sometimes, Exum gets a little bit of a one-track mind, and attacks the paint even when help is there. That usually results in a wild shot or a turnover, like here:

Exum forces a drive... (don't worry, I'm including his dunk too) pic.twitter.com/VZHFfvKHCx — Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) February 16, 2017

But overall, I'm encouraged. It's funny how quickly things can change in this league: two weeks ago, Exum looked dreadful, and I was very sour on his NBA future. Now, I think he still may get his minutes cut when Hood comes back, and especially if the Jazz acquire another option at the guard position (for example, Lou Williams is said to be available). But his NBA future looks brighter now, thanks to improved aggression and finishing.

3. Going for the simple finish

Here's a fact that astounds: Joe Ingles is a much better finisher at the rim than Alec Burks.

Yes, that Alec Burks, who play-by-play man Craig Bolerjack has nicknamed "Houdini" thanks to his seemingly magical contorting finishes around the rim. And yes, that Joe Ingles, who opposing fans often compare to their dad or uncle in their game threads, thanks to his receding hairline (I get that life) and limited athleticism.

But coming into tonight, Ingles makes 79.2 percent of his shots within 3 feet of the rim. Meanwhile, Burks has made just 48.4 percent of those same shots.

Sure, Burks takes more of his shots from there, because he's more aggressive about finishing around and over people. But even if you made up that difference by giving Ingles misses on every single extra layup attempt, Ingles would still have a better percentage.

Why? I think a lot of the reason is strength and size. Like, these two plays are both left-handed layups, except that Burks is bumped out a little bit, whereas Ingles creates the contact himself to get the open look.

Joe Ingles lefty finish pic.twitter.com/hXY6nyoAUN — Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) February 16, 2017

> Burks layup miss in transition... gets bumped a little [pic.twitter.com/dwvguTmiEi](https://t.co/dwvguTmiEi) > > — Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) [February 16, 2017](https://twitter.com/andyblarsen/status/832102783369125888)

I also think Burks sometimes overcomplicates his finishes, pumping his arms around when he doesn't have to. That's an issue that the Jazz's coaching staff has worked with him on, and we should see improvement soon, especially as Burks gets his rhythm back coming back from injury. 

Related topics