Strong Second Half Pushes Utah Past Orlando
Jan 9, 2019, 9:36 PM
(Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
(Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Utah Jazz overcame a slow start to the game to grab an easy victory in a 106-93 win over the Orlando Magic.
Donovan Mitchell started with a 1-for-5 shooting, 2-point first quarter and ended up with a game-high 33 points, including 16 in the final quarter to lead the comeback effort.
The game started poorly for Utah as they scored just 7 points in the first nine minutes of the game. Meanwhile, the Magic built what was at most a 21-point lead.
“The first few minutes that wasn’t us,” said Mitchell after the game. “They came out ready and we weren’t ready and we bounced right back.
we prefer a comeback ANYWAY pic.twitter.com/k0mPw5G5Ga
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) January 10, 2019
Utah finally got into the game in the final few minutes of the first quarter and went on a 12-4 run to make it a 32-19 Orlando advantage at the end of the period.
The Jazz improved in the second quarter and shot 52.4 from the floor in the period but still trailed 63-46 at the halftime break.
New Half, New Story
In the third quarter however, the Jazz came alive and broke the game open with a 25-3 run at the end the quarter to take their first lead of the game and send the game into the fourth with a 78-75 lead.
As bad as the game started for Utah, the Magic may have finished the game even worse, scoring just 12 points in the third and 18 in the fourth. They shot just 26.8 percent from the field while the Jazz shot 54.8 in the second half.
Raul Neto, in his first start since his rookie year in the 2015-16 season, was a major player in the comeback run. He scored eight points on 4-of-5 shooting in the third. His steal and fastbreak basket in the final minute of the third gave the Jazz the lead at 76-75. He finished with 10 points in the game.
In Raul we trust 🙌 pic.twitter.com/QjEAdghLEI
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) January 10, 2019
“Give credit to Raul Neto,” said Mitchell. “Hasn’t really played much this year, came in and did his thing.”
Spida Goes Off In Fourth Quarter
The Jazz rolled to the victory in the fourth, led by Mitchell, who closed the door on Orlando by scoring 16 points in the quarter. Joe Ingles also played close-out basketball, scoring eight points in the final period.
In Raul we trust 🙌 pic.twitter.com/QjEAdghLEI
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) January 10, 2019
In addition to Mitchell’s 33 points, Ingles finished with 16 points with four 3-pointers made.
Rudy Gobert added a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds.
Next Up
The Jazz will next host the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday at 8 p.m. The Lakers announced that superstar LeBron James will not be making the trip to Utah as he continues to recover from a groin injury that has kept him sidelined since Christmas. The game will be televised on ESPN.
