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SALT LAKE CITY — There were lots of storylines that came from the Jazz's victory over the Phoenix Suns, from the return of Jeff Hornacek to Gordon Hayward's near triple-double and the Jazz beating a playoff team, which hasn't happened too often this year.
However, for the Jazz it was just a win where the team came together and made plays for each other, doing to right things and making the plays to win a game.
The Jazz had seven players who scored in double figures. Six of those scored between 15 and 17 points. It's become a little trite, but that is the best way to win when a team doesn't have a star to score 30 or more points per game. The Jazz did it by playing the right way, old-school Jazz basketball and dishing out 22 assists.
“Just sharing the ball, trying to play the basketball game the right way,” coach Tyrone Corbin said. “Just letting the play develop and making the right basketball play. When we share the ball we are pretty good. I thought Gordon for the most part tonight fought his way back and had a great game for us.”
Hayward was the story of the night. He's been so close a few times this season to getting his first triple-double and the first for the Jazz since Carlos Boozer in 2008. Against the Miami Heat he was one point and rebound away. He was three assists shy against the Oklahoma City Thunder when he had 37 points and 11 rebounds.
He was also one assist shy of the feat against the Memphis Grizzlies when he had 16 points and 11 rebounds. In the first game against the Suns he was two assists shy. It seems like a matter of when, not if, for his eventual first triple-double.
“I left him in there a little longer, he still played 37 minutes,” Corbin said. “I was trying to let him get that last one, but I didn't want to take a chance with him.”
Fans were disappointed that Corbin took him out, but he did have a few chances to get his tenth assist and it just fell wrong. Richard Jefferson said he's missed out on a triple-double a few different times, but never because of an assist.
“I don't know what he's doing,” Jefferson said. “I've fallen one rebound a couple of times short, but one assist? I'm going to get that assist. That's the tough part, you got to teach him the tricks of the trade like, clear everybody out, I need one assist. You all just shoot it anytime I throw it to you and if we get an offensive rebound find me, get me the ball. I'll throw it right back to you and you shoot it again.”
The team knew that he was close, but they weren't able to get it done. There was a missed assist here or there, but at the end of the night Hayward was more focused on the win than the missed personal accomplishment.
“It was close, it didn't work out, I'm just happy we got the win,” Hayward said.
Hayward was a large part of this, but the 22 assists are a big part of Jazz wins. When the Jazz win, they average just under 22 assists and when they lose its 19. Three assists don't seem like a huge number, but the Jazz are successful when they pass the ball and trust each other.
In the Jazz's previous win against the Boston Celtics, the Jazz had 25 assists; their last loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves they only had 16.
Against the Suns, the Jazz had seven players in double-figures, against the Celtics, six, while against the Timberwolves they only had four. The high assist numbers not only show passing, but getting players easy shots and taking smart shots.
“We moved the ball really well off the screens and transitions,” Trey Burke said. “You'll get wins like tonight when you got guys moving the ball.”
The Jazz were able to shoot 56.8 percent from the field with this style of play to go along with 50 percent from beyond the arc.
In wins, the Jazz shoot 48 percent from the field and only 42 percent in losses.
Normally the greatest beneficiary of the Jazz's ball movement is Marvin Williams, but in this game he only hit one shot out of five. He scored two points, the lone starter who didn't score in double-figures.
This game it was Diante Garrett and Richard Jefferson who combined for 32 points on 12-of-17 shooting. When the ball moves, other players get involved. When those players get involved, the Jazz have a really good chance at winning games.
Against the Suns, the Jazz put the team first and made plays to get a victory.
