Mitchell, Clarkson, House Jr. Carry Jazz Over Phoenix
Feb 27, 2022, 5:32 PM | Updated: 8:06 pm
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Jazz won their eighth game in their last nine outings with a 118-114 victory over the Phoenix Suns.
Donovan Mitchell had 26 points on 8-20 shooting while Rudy Gobert added 16 points, 14 points, and three blocks in the win.
Devin Booker scored 30 points for the Suns while Cam Johnson and DeAndre Ayton added 23 points each despite the loss.
The @utahjazz got a big performance from their second unit and downed the league-leading @Suns 118-114. #TakeNote https://t.co/IbcD4rPaL4
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) February 27, 2022
House Jr. And Clarkson Come Up Big
The major difference in Sunday’s game came from the two team’s second units, as Jazz’s bench group outscored Phoenix’s 43-11.
Phoenix is the third-best first quarter team in the NBA and showed why against the Jazz, jumping out to an 8-0 lead while knocking down nine of their first 10 shots including all four three-point attempts.
The Jazz starters were down 22-10 to open the game before Quin Snyder went to his bench and the team closed the quarter on a 22-8 run.
The process repeated itself in the third quarter when Phoenix pushed their four point third-quarter lead to eight before the Jazz closed the quarter on a 16-3 run aided by the second unit.
🌲🌲🌲 @TForrest_11 🌲🌲🌲 pic.twitter.com/Ai6AhzXPHi
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 27, 2022
Third quarter bench contributions included two points and two rebounds from Trent Forrest, six points and steal from Clarkson, and strong defense from Danuel House Jr. on Devin Booker.
The play from the reserves forced Snyder to alter the timing of his substitutions in the fourth quarter keeping Clarkson, House Jr., and Hassan Whiteside on the floor late into the game.
“In JC’s case, he’s getting to the rim and scoring,” Snyder said. “We’ve got a group that’s willing to accept that.”
Clarkson finished with 22 points on 10-17 shooting, added five rebounds, three assists, and two steals while the Jazz outscored Phoenix by 20 in his 25 minutes on the court.
House Jr.’s defense was so effective on Booker that Snyder sent him back onto the court over the final 7:22 of the fourth quarter in place of Royce O’Neale.
the arrows are flying 🏹 🏹 🏹 #TakeNote pic.twitter.com/W2GwMEcv20
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 27, 2022
The new Jazzman scored six points and grabbed two rebounds to close the game, all while making Booker work for his baskets.
“I made a few big shots but my job was to make sure that I stayed in front of my man and make it hard as possible tonight because he’s a talented scorer,” House Jr. said of his performance.
Whiteside also offered the Jazz several big moments against a talented Suns frontcourt. The veteran’s strength in the paint offensively is an asset against Phoenix’s length.
The big man finished with eight points and eight rebounds on a perfect 3-3 from the floor in 19 minutes. The Jazz outscored Phoenix by 19 with Whiteside on the floor.
You might want to move out of the way#TakeNote | @youngwhiteside pic.twitter.com/5exb2r4Vpb
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 27, 2022
The team’s second unit has been a major asset during their recent win streak. Over the last seven games, the Jazz are outscoring opponents by 15.7 with Clarkson on the floor, 14.6 with Whiteside on the floor, and 9.6 with Forrest on the floor.
Those three numbers lead the team during the stretch and are a major reason for the Jazz’s recent resurgence.
Jazz Best Stretch Of Basketball This Season
It’s hard to argue that this has been anything but the Jazz best stretch of basketball of the season.
The team has won eight of its last nine games, owns the league’s second-best net rating in the stretch, and has wins over the Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, and now the Suns in their last five outings.
Outside of wins in Milwaukee and Cleveland, the Jazz hadn’t had many signature wins this season, but have found three in the last two weeks.
“It feels different, it looks different, you know what I mean?” Mitchell said. “I’m excited because it’s just like you walk off the floor you feel gassed, you feel like everything was just left out there by everybody.”
He’s on another level. 🕷🤩#TakeNote #UTAvsPHX https://t.co/4sux1P6zv7
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) February 27, 2022
The Warriors were without Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, the Mavericks were fresh off a big trade, and the Suns were without Chris Paul, but the Jazz needed a good stretch of basketball after a miserable January and they’ve taken advantage of it.
The Jazz should have an opportunity to build on that momentum with six of their next seven opponents coming against the 10-15th ranked teams in the Western Conference.
“Ultimately it’s going to be on us to go out there and find ways to continuously get better,” Mitchell said of the upcoming games. “It doesn’t matter who we play, doesn’t matter what night it is, every night we’re going to get everybody’s best shot.”
Monty Williams Lofty Mitchell Comparisons
On Friday, Quin Snyder shared his thoughts on Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic, making two lofty comparisons for the emerging superstar.
Snyder said Doncic resembled James Harden during his days in Houston, and Magic Johnson with his size and ability to pass the ball.
Before the Jazz faced Phoenix, Suns coach Monty Williams made similar lofty comparisons for Mitchell.
“Donovan’s ability to shoot off the dribble is something that you don’t talk about a lot,” Williams said. “You tend to talk about that with [Damian] Lillard and Steph [Curry], but he’s just as good — and in timely situations.”
Curry is the undisputed greatest shooter in NBA history, especially off the dribble, and Lillard is the only player over the last decade who has an argument to be in the same conversation. Both players were recently named to the NBA’s 75th-Anniversary Team.
things you love to see: ⤵️#TakeNote pic.twitter.com/4WyST4vJxy
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 27, 2022
Prior to facing the Suns, Mitchell was averaging 28.1 points per game and had been shooting 45 percent from three on 10 attempts per game since returning from a concussion on February 4.
The guard continued his brilliant play against Phoenix pouring 26 points on 8-20 shooting, including 6-11 from the three-point line. The majority of Mitchell’s damage was done in the first quarter where he scored 11 points on 3-3 shooting from deep.
After a scoreless second quarter, Mitchell bounced back with 15 points on 5-10 shooting including 3-5 from downtown including a Curry-esque bank shot against Miles Bridges that pushed the Jazz lead to 10 with just
That’s a good sign that the guard is rounding into form ahead of the postseason where Mitchell has been one of the best players each of the last two seasons.
Over his last 17 playoff games, Mitchell is averaging 33.9 points, 5.2 assists, and 4.5 rebounds while shooting a blistering 48 percent from the floor and 46 percent from the three-point line.
