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Their offense isn't as explosive as others, so the Utah Jazz know they can't give away possessions. Six games into this young season, there is just one player in the regular rotation who has yet to commit a turnover.
"I'll see how long it goes for," forward Joe Ingles says with a smirk. "Hopefully for the rest of the year."
So what's been the key?
"Not wanting to get in trouble?" he joked.
Really it's been a matter of better decision making.
When the Jazz brought the 28-year-old Aussie back on a two-year deal last summer, coach Quin Snyder stressed the need for him to take better care of the ball.
"I've hit him pretty hard on not turning the ball over," said Snyder, who has spent significant time with Ingles breaking down film and pinpointing where he made his mistakes during his rookie season in the NBA.
There were some technical things he needed to improve.
"A lot of that's just what I've done with some of the coaches before and after practice with my ball-handling and creating space for myself," Ingles said.
But after that, it's been a matter of simplifying things. Ingles sees the floor as well if not better than anyone else on the Jazz roster. And in his first year in the NBA, he was willing to take some extra risks and throw too many 50-50 passes.
"It's like a quarterback that can see a play," Snyder said. "Then it's do you want to make the great pass? And what's the cost-benefit of that? There are times to go for it and there are other times when you see the percentages to not."
The percentages are trending in the right direction now.
The Jazz committed the fifth-most turnovers in the league last year. This season, they've coughed up the fourth fewest.
And in 110 minutes on the court, Ingles remains unblemished in that category.
"He's got a lot of pride as a player," Snyder said. "I think his focus in that area is something that for our whole team has been infectious."
Lucking out?
It took more than good defense Saturday night to slow down Memphis' Mike Conley.
Or maybe it took less.
The Grizzlies point guard started the night by scoring seven first-quarter points. He finished the night 8 for 25 from the field, but according to the NBA's data, Conley missed nine uncontested shots (attempts when there was no defender within 3.5 feet).
"He got some clean looks that worried you," Snyder said. "… He's a terrific player. On a personal level, he's one of my favorite players. Maybe you're not supposed to say that, but I just love the way he plays and the way he leads."
On the road again
There may have been some extra emphasis on grabbing a win Saturday night after suffering a disappointing loss to the Portland Trail Blazers in last week's home opener.
Having already played four of their first six games away from Salt Lake City, the Jazz must still play six of their next 10 games on the road — including a four-game road trip next week with stops in Cleveland, Miami, Orlando and Atlanta.
"I mean, we want to win every one here," Ingles said. "Especially for the fans. They come out every night and support us. It was nice to get it and we'll go on this trip now and see what we can do."
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