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INDIANAPOLIS — Ricky Rubio put on a show. The problem was, most of the Jazz players settled for just watching it.
Rubio scored 28 points, but it wasn’t nearly enough as the Jazz were blasted by the Victor Oladipo-less Indiana Pacers 121-94 on Monday.
The Jazz started badly on the offensive end, turning over the ball at an alarming rate in the first quarter. And ended badly on the defensive end, offering little resistance to a Pacer attack that was playing without their All-Star guard.
Utah turned the ball over eight times in the first quarter alone, leading to a 16 Indiana points as the Pacers took control of the game early — and never really gave it up. The Pacers built up a 20-point lead in the second quarter before the Rubio show got going.
Rubio got hot in the second quarter and with a barrage of 3-pointers and midrange pull-ups was able to cut that 20-point lead down to just six points. His one-man show continued in the second half, as he scored 12 points alone in the third quarter.
But the Jazz defense never let the team get back into the game. Even with Rubio cooking, Indiana increased its least throughout the second half, leading to head coach Quin Snyder waving the white flag midway through the fourth quarter.
Rudy Gobert finished 12 points and 11 rebounds and Jae Crowder had 14 off the bench. Donovan Mitchell was held to just 7 points on the night.
The Jazz fall to 8-9 on the season and are now just 3-3 when playing teams who are sitting out an All-Star.
"I think guys are ready to play,” Snyder said earlier this season. “Especially teams that pride themselves on having depth and having a good bench. You look at it and sometimes it’s not what it seems."
