After evening their first-round playoff matchup with a gutty 100-99 Game 4 win over the Mavericks in Utah, the Jazz proceeded to get blown out in a blistering 102-77 Game 5 loss on the road. Tony Jones of The Athletic considers the listless loss to be just the newest indignity for a solid squad with a patchy postseason record.
“Our mindset, it was disappointing,” All-Star center Rudy Gobert said. “I felt like we didn’t respond to their energy and their intensity. I felt like we didn’t respond to their focus. They just outplayed us.”
Jones notes that the Jazz have struggled all year through erratic performances and an easy susceptibility to tougher teams. Though Jones considers Utah talented enough to win at least its next home contest, Game 6, he wonders if the team will be able to overcome its issues to defeat a hungry Dallas club.
“We have to do a better job of moving the basketball and playing the right way,” said Jazz forward Bojan Bogdanovic. “I thought we played well enough offensively. I just thought we had to do a better job of moving the basketball.”
There’s more out of the Northwest Division:
- Should they lose early in these playoffs, the Jazz face an uncertain summer, and could move on some of their top players. According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, all signs points to Utah owner Ryan Smith, in his second season with the team, wanting to hold onto All-Star shooting guard Donovan Mitchell over any other core team personnel.
- The Timberwolves have struggled to defend second-year Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane, who has been shooting lights-out from long range during the two teams’ first-round series, writes Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. Hine notes that Minnesota’s priority on defense has been stopping All-Star point guard Ja Morant, leaving Bane open. “Sometimes you can’t cover it all,” Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch said following the team’s 119-118 victory in Game 4. “We got to just find him a little quicker. He does a really good job of moving into the right space when you’re in rotation. He’s got a quick release and deep range. I think sometimes his range catches our guys off guard a little bit.” Bane has shot 18-of-35 from long range across the last three games in the series. After tonight, Memphis leads Minnesota 3-2 in their series.
- The Nuggets, with their backs against the wall down 3-1 to the Warriors, hope to extend their first-round series employing the same chippy fight they had during their recent two-game home stand, per Mike Singer of the Denver Post. “We’re not backing down from anybody,” Denver forward Aaron Gordon said at a team practice this week. The club amped up the contact against Golden State in two physical contests at Ball Arena. “I would say our physicality definitely improved from Games 1 and 2 to 3 and 4,” reserve Nuggets center DeMarcus Cousins said of the team’s tactical shift. “One thing we did know about ourselves was we were the reason we were losing those (first three) games.”
Knicks have to make overpaid offer to get Mitchell and Rudy
Knicks and Rockets are targeting young superstars
They are the smartest in the world
Would have to take a deal even bigger than what OKC got for PG13 to get Mitchell. I don’t see it happening.
Why? So they can get bounced in the first round and continue Utah’s current legacy?
I like Donovan, he will be the best Knick player since Melo, but he can’t be the best player on a prime contender. That’s my conclusion after his las four runs. He is still young and maybe he hasn’t reached his ceilling, but i can’t see any improvement the last three season, eye test and stats wise he looks like the same player.
They don’t want to play together. But Mitchell to the Knick sounds possible, according to some NBA insiders.
Too true, too true DMC!
No one can doubt that you are the better team, but, now 3-0 down to even a mediocre team like GSW, there is no way back… although if there is a team that can do that is DEN with the unstoppable Jokic!
Mitchell is the prime culprit when the Jazz get away from their game plan. We don’t need a player dribbling the ball around trying to create a shot, when we should be moving the ball around.
When he starts trying to create something on his own, Dallas just collapses around him.
El Don hatred for GSW is laughable. Also how he will not let anyone respond to him since it hurts his feelings. Since ElDon believes Nuggets will win how about a bet. Nuggets win I leave forever. GSW win you leave forever. IS he man enough to take that bet?
No he’s not. You’re better off just muting him, and then you don’t need to make any bets. My experience reading the comments here has been ten times better since I muted him. And Knickerbocker Al too for that matter