This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The Charlotte Hornets scored 38 points in the third quarter on Saturday night and built themselves a double-digit lead. They were threatening to run away from the Utah Jazz.
But when you defend as well as the Jazz, you are never really out of a basketball game.
Utah's defense struggled for 40 minutes, but then became vicious in the last eight. The ability to get stops when the Jazz needed them fueled a furious comeback in a 105-98 win over the Hornets. And before a raucous crowd at Vivint Smart Home Arena on Saturday night, Utah showed how oppressive its top-ranked defense can be over a long stretch.
Now, Jazz head coach Quin Snyder wants to see it consistently for a full game.
"I think the question on some level is of our urgency," Snyder said. "There's an urgency we had when we got behind that wasn't there during the majority of the game. We have to do a better job of maintaining our level during the guts of the game, and not just at the end of the game."
Snyder pointed to the disparity in Charlotte's offense between the third and fourth quarters. After the 38 points it scored in the third, Charlotte had only 16 in the fourth quarter, and six in the final eight minutes.
"I think it shows where out level of execution and concentration were," Snyder said.
Down 92-82 with eight minutes remaining, the Jazz went on a 21-4 run over the next seven minutes, culminating with a Joe Johnson 3-pointer that gave Utah a 103-96 advantage. The switch began when Snyder inserted Johnson — fast becoming one of his most valuable players — and went small around center Rudy Gobert.
The substitution allowed the Jazz to switch almost every screen and roll action. And that allowed Utah to put a squeeze on Charlotte's 3-point shooting, which had been lethal to that point.
"We finally started playing defense," Gobert said. "I think they made a lot of shots, and they made it hard for us. We weren't active enough and we were letting them do what they wanted to do. We were able to turn it around."
Offensively, the Jazz had their best quarter — 32 points — in the fourth. Johnson's ability to score and make plays for others served as a significant factor. Gordon Hayward was the constant, getting whatever he wanted and doing so efficiently. Point guard George Hill found his jumper and looked liked the George Hill from earlier in the season.
With a game-high 33 points on 13 of 20 shooting from the field, Hayward led the way offensively. Hill scored 25 points on 8 of 11 shooting, and made the game-tying 3-pointer to pull the Jazz even at 96 late in the fourth.
Johnson scored 18 points, pulled down six rebounds and handed out four assists. He was a game-high plus-20.
"I think we got stops, and when we did get stops we were able to attack against a defense that wasn't set yet," Hayward said. "I think we were able to finally hit some open threes that we were missing earlier. But I think it all started defensively for us."
With the win, Utah moves to 32-19 on the season and surpasses the Los Angeles Clippers for fourth place in the Western Conference.
Twitter: @tribjazz —
Storylines
R The Jazz are 11-0 this season when George Hill scores at least 20 points.
• Rudy Gobert has blocked at least one shot in 20 straight games.