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SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Jazz are maturing as a basketball team.
They’re finding their way; they’re making less of the old mistakes, and more of the new ones. It’s easy to tell the expectations for this team has changed when narrow road losses are looked at as disappointments instead of moral victories (re.: Boston).
Utah went 3-1 on a recent road trip, but the team faced a variety of minor interruptions. Whether it was weather, lack of sleep or travel in general, the Jazz were generally able to overcome the challenges of the road.
For Jazz coach Quin Snyder, the challenges facing the team come in a variety of different directions, and they don’t just end on the road.
For instance, the Jazz returned to the court in Salt Lake on Tuesday for a game against the New York Knicks, one of the league’s worst teams. On paper, it looked to be an easy win. However, disappointing teams aren’t guaranteed wins, as the Jazz learned on Feb. 25 in a 100-97 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
"I don't think we were focused. We lost track of the things we need to do to play well, and they were intermittent," said Jazz coach Quin Snyder.
There were other challenges that had the chance to derail the recent Jazz run, including forward Gordon Hayward missing the game with back tightness.
In spite of the distractions, Utah played just good enough, picking up a 87-82 win over the short-handed Knicks.
Another sign of Utah’s maturing was the mood in the postgame interview sessions. In spite of picking up a victory, the Jazz were visibly upset with the effort and consistency on the floor.
New York took an early 6-5 lead, which prompted Snyder to call an early timeout to steady the team.
Snyder said the start was due to a lack of focus.
“We didn’t come out to start the game ready to go,” he said. “It didn’t matter who was starting; this is what we’ve talked about, as far as the team learning. That’s what that was.
“I don’t think we were focused. We lost track of the things we need to do to play well, and they were intermittent. There were stretches where we did them, and stretches where we didn’t.”
The Jazz built leads in the second and third quarters, only to see New York come back each time. The Knicks took a 52-51 lead on a Alexey Shved three, which prompted Snyder to call another timeout. The teams would finish the quarter tied at 65-65.
Snyder said the Knicks’ performance after they fell 106-78 to the Denver Nuggets was commendable.
#UJ1
“To go on the road and perform the way that team did tonight, they should be proud,” he said. “I was impressed with everything that they did. They took advantage of us, and guys stepped up and played with confidence. They showed a lot of character.”
The score was tied midway through the fourth quarter, until Joe Ingles went on a personal 7-2 run to give Utah an 80-75 lead — a lead they would never relinquish.
Ingles said it was the time of the game when plays needed to be made by someone.
“Personally, I’ve been playing not at my level the last few games, sloppy with the ball, and the shot hadn’t really been dropping,” said Ingles, who finished with 12 points. “I was just trying to be aggressive and make some plays, and got put in some good positions and made some shots as well.”
In spite of the game’s inconsistent nature, there were still some bright spots for the Jazz. Rodney Hood scored a career-high 17 points, and Derrick Favors scored 29 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.
Favors said he started the night with an aggressive mindset.
“I just wanted to come out and be aggressive,” he said. “Just try to hold the team down until everybody could get in an rhythm, which I did in the first half. In the second half, everybody else got into a rhythm, so we started playing through (Hood) and (Ingles).”
The Knicks game is the first game Gordon Hayward has missed all season, and his absence was certainly felt.
Snyder said the team has to be prepared to play, regardless of whether Hayward is in the lineup or not.
“Gordon’s a heck of a player, he’s been terrific all year,” he said. “I think we’ve got enough guys in our locker room that can play well. I’ve got a lot of guys that know what they’re doing. We just had some guys that weren’t ready to play; some guys that got out of character.
“That can happen. It’s not like it’s a shock that it happened tonight. But, it still makes me mad.”
Whether it was an aberration or not, Snyder’s words regarding his team are additional evidence of growth in the team’s expectations. With expectations comes the pressure to play well, and the coach noted his team has to continue to commit to the values that have led them to an 8-3 stretch.
“The thing about our team lately is we’ve been a very intelligent, young team,” he said. “For being really young, we’ve got a group of guys that are really working at understanding what we want. But that takes concentration, and it’s not habitual enough yet.”
