The Utah Jazz overcame an 11-point deficit and ended their game on a high note as they surged back with a franchise-record of 28 triples en route to defeating the Charlotte Hornets, 132-110.
According to The Salt Lake Tribune, despite a slow start, the Jazz managed to turn around their lapses made in the first half and even set the franchise record of 28-of-55 beyond the arc to secure the home victory.
The Hornets started the game aggressively, attacking the interior defense of the Jazz. Led by Terry Rozier and rookie guard LaMelo Ball, the Hornets pushed the game's pace early, but the frontrunner of the 6th Man of the Year, Jordan Clarkson, put up steady numbers in the first half to keep the Jazz in striking distance.
Ball further pushed the Hornets' tempo with three minutes left before halftime and displayed some of his shots, giving them a three-point lead at the half.
Gordon Hayward, alongside Ball, put up steady numbers at the start of the second half and even distributed the ball for the Hornets to establish the 11-point lead with seven minutes remaining in the third.
However, it seemed to be a wake-up call for the Jazz as Joe Ingles started the shooting party beyond the arc.
Jordan Clarkson remained steady in attacking at any spot on the floor. But the spotlight in the fourth was on Georges Niang, who hit all of the seven long bombs he launched beyond the arc.
Overall, they shot 11 of 16 of their triples in the fourth quarter alone.
During the post-game interview, Niang shared that he felt like he was in the zone during the game. He also added that it felt really good to be in rhythm and shots are falling, Deseret News reported.
Despite his presence not being felt in the offensive end, the Utah Jazz star center, Rudy Gobert, made things possible for his team. He displayed a locked-down defense in the paint, allowing his teammates to orchestrate the run they needed to win at home.
Out of the four blocks recorded by the Utah Jazz in the fourth period, three came from Gobert.
Gobert admitted that they displayed a bad defense in the first half. The French Jazz center also shared that they will not be going anywhere as a team if they will not have a good defense.
Even Jazz head coach Quin Snyder admitted that they played lousy defense as a team, which allowed the Hornets to score some transition baskets that left them struggling. He also added that they could not get some stops as his players were not playing the way they needed to play defensively.
The Utah Jazz has now secured the top spot in the West and in the league with a 25-6 record. They also climbed up in the power rankings and are even favored team to win the championship, NBA.com reported.
