Utah Jazz fall to the San Antonio Spurs 97-110

And the seesaw of a season continues. Just when it looks like the Utah Jazz figure things out, they lay another egg. Last night saw the Utah Jazz be convincingly defeated by the struggling Spurs. San Antonio took the lead with 53 seconds left in the first quarter and led the rest of the way. Let’s revisit the game with our standard 3 observations, 2 questions, and 1 prediction.

Three Observations

1. This Jazz team has become susceptible to huge runs

On two separate occasions last night, the Spurs were able to go on extensive runs to take or pad the lead. The Jazz saw an 18-13 lead turn into an 18-30 deficit in just over 5 minutes. Later in the second quarter San Antonio also went on a 12-0 run to push a lead to 54-36 before halftime. Those two runs absolutely determined the game in the end. Just a few games ago against the Heat, the Jazz also saw a 35-16 lead turn into 36-35 deficit. That’s a 19-0 run for those counting at home. I don’t have an answer as to why this is happening or how to resolve it, but this is an issue Quin Snyder needs to address.

2. Ricky Rubio is finding his stride

It was no secret that Ricky Rubio was struggling mightily to start the season. After ending last year really well, the expectations were high coming into his second year in Utah. Then he lost his shot and couldn’t find his role on offense. He looked lost and was no where near a starting point guard. Rubio was one of the lone bright spots last night, putting up an efficient 26 points. In his last 5 games, Rubio is averaging 17.4 points, 4 rebounds, and 5.4 assists. More importantly is that he’s shot 50 percent from the field and 40 percent from 3. These are well above his season averages of 40 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from 3. If the Jazz fully turn this season back around, they are going to need the Ricky Rubio from last night more frequently.

3. Utah’s defense forces the right shot, but doesn’t defend them well

The Spurs have one of the worst 3 point rates in the NBA this season. Unsurprisingly with DeMar DeRozan and LeMarcus Aldridge on the roster, they take a lot of mid range jumpers. Utah’s defense has been exceptional at forcing mid range jumpers this year. Unfortunately, they haven’t defended or contested these shots well enough at the same time. Last night was another case of that. Here is San Antonio’s shot chart on the night.

That’s 32 two-point shots taken outside of the key. Great defensive game plan. Except that the Spurs made 16 of those shots. Utah needs to figure out how to continue forcing these shots, while also guarding them as well.

Two Questions

1. Do the Jazz have too much depth?

Utah has boasted one of the better benches in the league for 2-3 years now. This has come in handy during injury plagues seasons in the past. It hasn’t been uncommon for the Jazz to have 5+ guys in double figures on the regular. That being said, has that become a problem now? Outside of Rubio’s 26, Donovan Mitchell’s 27, and Rudy Gobert’s 14 the Jazz couldn’t get anyone to score. It feels like this team has reached the point where they need another true scorer. Should they sacrifice some of their depth for more top-end talent?

2. When does the schedule lighten up?

It’s been well-documented that Utah has faced one of the most difficult schedules to start the season. They lead the league with 17 road games played already. They’ve rarely had a night where they weren’t playing or traveling. Unfortunately this isn’t getting better anytime soon. Looking ahead I’d say it’s not until January 9th that the schedule really opens up for the Jazz. The hope is that they can maintain a .500 record by then and can go on another 2nd half tear.

One Prediction

1. Dennis Lindsey isn’t done making moves

GM Dennis Lindsey pulled the trigger on an early season trade by bringing Kyle Korver back to the Jazz a couple weeks ago. After watching this team play since then, I think it’s obvious that he won’t be done making moves. The Jazz need one more legitimate player to add to their star duo of Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell. It might have to wait a month before those moves are made due to contract restrictions, but I think I can confidently say that Lindsey has more plans for this team. With Rudy in his prime and Donovan still on a rookie deal, the time is now to go all in. I see Dennis making those moves sooner rather than later.

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