The Utah Jazz (4-2) defeated the Memphis Grizzles (3-4) 89-79 on Saturday.
This was the defensive struggle that everyone anticipated, as it was a true grind fest. There were 15 combined steals, 11 combined blocks and the two teams combined to shoot under 37 percent from the field. This was a battle of dominant frontcourts and the Jazz appeared to win the battle, as they out-rebounded Memphis 49-44 while out-blocking them 10-1. The teams also did a great job of not allowing the other to get to the free-throw line, as there were only 32 free-throw attempts all game long.
While this was a tough loss for the Grizzlies, they did show some fight in the fourth quarter. Trailing 77-57 after the end of the third quarter, Memphis decided to turn on the defensive jets and held Utah to just 12 points in the final 12 minutes. They still couldn’t prevail, but at least the Grizzlies showed some fight. This has been a scary trend for the Grizzlies this season, as their four losses have been by a combined 109 points. This is one of the worst offensive teams in the league right now and they'll have to figure something out on that end of the floor if they want to dig out of this hole. Memphis will have another tough matchup in their next game on Monday against the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Jazz defense is down right dominant right now, as they lowered their average of points allowed per game in this victory. They have now allowed under 84 points in four of their last five games and that can be attributed to their huge frontcourt. Rudy Gobert had 11 rebounds and four blocks in the game, while Derrick Favors added 12 points, 16 rebounds and three steals in the victory. The key to the win was a huge performance off the bench from Trey Burke, who scored 24 points while going 6-for-8 from three-point range. Utah will face another dominant defense in their net game when they travel to Cleveland to take on the Cavaliers on Tuesday.
