For the third straight game, the Utah Jazz built a big third-quarter lead (tonight it was 23). And for the third straight game, they let that big lead dwindle down to nearly nothing (tonight it was actually nothing—Phoenix tied the game with just over three minutes left). And for the third staight game, they eventually pulled out the win in nail-biting fashion.
Final score: Jazz 112, Suns 105.
The Jazz (14-9) have now won four straight games, and seven of their last eight.
Gordon Hayward scored a game-high 28 points, while Rudy Gobert scored 22 points (a new career high), grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked four shots.
Boris Diaw and Joe Johnson had solid games against their former team. Diaw finished with 13 points and a team-high six assists, while Johnson added 13 points and made three 3-pointers.
Devin Booker scored a team-high 21 points for the Suns (6-15).
Tuesday’s Best
Gobert owned the night with his best game of the season. He was efficient from the field (6-for-8), exceptional from the free-throw line (10-for-11), and stifling in the defensive paint (four blocks). His highlight-reel reverse dunk in the final minute gave him a new career high in points, and in the third quarter he even faced up and bounced in a 12-foot jumper—the first time in his NBA career that he’s made a shot outside of 10 feet.
Key Stretch
The Jazz didn’t make a field goal in the fourth quarter until the 5:33 mark (a corner three by Diaw) as they watched their 23-point lead cut to single digits in a matter of minutes. After Phoenix tied the game with 3:06 left, Johnson came up with a big-time play on defense, stripping the ball and leaking a pass out to Hayward for a breakaway dunk. After another defensive stop, Shelvin Mack hit nothing but net on a runner to give Utah a 107-103 lead with 1:30 left in the game. Gobert’s stifling interior defense forced four straight Phoenix misses from inside the paint, and Utah’s big man saved his best for last—hitting nothing but net on two free throws with 44.1 seconds left, and then grabbing a missed shot and throwing down a two-handed reverse jam that sealed the win and practically brought the house down.
Significant Stat
87.5
The Jazz continued their hot shooting from the free-throw line, converting 87.5 percent (28-for-32) as a team. Hayward went 10-for-13 and Gobert went 10-for-11, while Diaw, Johnson, Mack and Joe Ingles each went 2-for-2.
Coach’s Quote of the Night
“Really, it’s human nature—when you have some separation, sometimes it’s easier to let down. It’s something that really good teams figure out a way to overcome. I don’t think we’re there, but we did find a way tonight, in spite of tying the game, to close. … A lot of times, when you give up a big lead like that you’re not able to turn it around in the end.”
Jazz head coach Quin Snyder
Notable
The Jazz had 23 assists, marking the fifth straight game that they’ve finished with at least 20. … Dante Exum struggled with foul trouble, playing only 17 minutes and finishing with seven points. … Rodney Hood was limited to only 11 minutes because of a sore hamstring. He finished with eight points. … Six Phoenix players scored in double figures. … The Jazz gave up 12 offensive rebounds and 17 second-chance points. … George Hill (toe) missed his fourth straight game. Derrick Favors (knee) missed his 11th straight game.
Up Next
The Jazz will stay at home to take on the Golden State Warriors on Thursday. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. MT, and the game will be televised on ROOT SPORTS.
