The Utah Jazz rolled into Phoenix on Saturday for the second game of a back-to-back, after a gutsy, hard-fought loss to the Denver Nuggets on Friday night. Given the energy they expended in keeping pace with Jokic, Murray and company, and the walking wounded lining the Jazz bench, taking down Devin Booker and the Suns would be a tough task. It was clear in the first quarter that a repeat performance was unlikely as the home team set a blistering pace from three and harried the Jazz with its aggressive defense and rebounding.
Brice and Flip tried to match the onslaught, Flip starting the game with three strong drives to the basket and Brice showing his versatility with mid-range jumpers and lay ups as well as threes. But the other two primary scorers, Ace and Cody, had a nightmare first half outing, going a combined 0-14 from the field. On the defensive end, the Jazz had no answer for Jalen Green or Devin Booker as they sliced to the basket and exposed the Jazz’s perimeter defense, which was as patchy as the Great Salt Lake.
Advertisement
The Jazz trailed 73-45 at the half. Ace bounced back in the second half, scoring 13 points and ending the night with a team high 3 blocks. Svi Mykhailiuk, making his first appearance since March 2nd, gave the team a much-needed boost with 14 points off the bench, including 4-5 from long range. Brice and Flip both ended the night with 26 points apiece, but it wasn’t enough to close the gap on the Suns, who made 17 threes, outrebounded the Jazz 60-42, and pulled away to win 134-109. It was another tough learning experience for the young core of the team and gives management and the coaching staff more tape to study as they make some difficult personnel decisions during the off season.