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SALT LAKE CITY — Coming off a dismal February stretch, losing 11 out of 15 games and falling below .500, the Utah Jazz looked anything but a playoff team. However, a recent winning streak has the Jazz correcting course, with sights on a playoff berth.
Tuesday night, the Jazz defeated the top-ranked Oklahoma City Thunder, 97-90, capping off back-to-back victories against two of the best teams in the Western Conference. The Jazz beat the Los Angeles Lakers on the road Sunday night in a rare home loss for a perennial playoff team.
While many may contend the Lakers — especially Kobe Bryant — did not have their best game, the same cannot be said about Oklahoma City's performance Tuesday. The Jazz were simply the better team, playing as a team, distributing the ball well and playing exceptional defense against one of the best scoring teams in the league. It was likely one of the best overall performances from the Jazz this season.
"They're good wins, but we've got a long way to go," Jamaal Tinsley said. "Every day we can get better. Hopefully, we can keep it up. These four wins are four good wins for us, but at the end of the day, we're still chasing."
The team effort was the key to Utah's win, with six players in double figures and an overall concerted effort to play a full 48 minutes on both ends of the floor from every player. The intensity that players like Tinsley and DeMarre Carroll, who generally see limited minutes, brought to the game was a big difference in the outcome of the game.
"It was most definitely a team effort, especially on the defensive end. I think the big did a great job in the second half of being on the pick and rolls, making sure that (Kevin) Durant and (Russell) Westbrook saw numbers — bodies — when they came off the roll," Al Jefferson said. "That proved that when we get our heads together and go out playing great defense, we can beat anybody, especially on our floor. We're a team to work with; you've got to come ready to play when we have our mind right on."
They're good wins, but we've got a long way to go. Every day we can get better. Hopefully, we can keep it up. These four wins are four good wins for us, but at the end of the day, we're still chasing.
–Jamaal Tinsley
Jazz head coach Tyrone Corbin said he was most impressed with the focus and hard work on both ends of the court.
"Good things continue to happen when you work hard. These guys continue to work hard and stay together and depend on each other and support on each other," he said. "We've had a few great wins here as of late. As long as we continue to play hard and focus in on the things we need to do on both ends, we're okay. I'm just really proud of the effort we're getting on both sides right now."
With a win against the Thunder, the Jazz remain on the playoff bubble, a half game behind the No. 8-seeded Houston Rockets, who came from behind Tuesday night to beat the Lakers. But the playoff push in the Western Conference is tightening, with the Jazz making greater strides to get back into the playoffs. As of this writing, three games separate teams from fourth to ninth.
"I don't know if it will send a message to anybody else but to us," Corbin said. "We need to make sure to continue to understand what our focus is. Our goal is to get into the playoffs; it's always been that, and we're in good shape now, but we've got a lot of basketball left to play. We've got to get out here on the road and win some games.
The Jazz will enter a taxing stretch of the season, playing seven games in 10 nights, with five on the road. But expect none of the upcoming opponents to care about a recent winning streak, even if it was against the Lakers and the Thunder. For the Jazz to make the playoffs, the confidence and play on both ends of the court must continue.
"Well we should be very confident. We can't be overconfident, but we should be very confident in what we can do on both ends of the floor," Corbin said. "We've got to understand what it takes for this team to be successful, and that's working hard on both ends. (We) need to count on each other, especially on the defensive end of the floor, making the right offensive plays and depending on each other to make the right plays."
