An argument could be made that Utah's five-point win over Dallas on Friday night was the biggest win of the season.
It came at the start of the second half of the season against one of the better teams in the league, how the Jazz took care of business, much to calm the chatter around the league.
The grumblings about Utah's inability to play short - mainly All-Star big man Rudy Gobert defending on the periphery - rose to deafening levels following their loss to the Lakers before the All-Star break. Despite holding a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter, the Jazz broke down in the final six minutes as a struggle on defense and a lack of execution on offense resulted in a loss.
"When the game came to a close, I thought we could have done more together in execution situations," head coach Quinn Snyder said after the loss to the Lakers. "It's not effort, it's mental focus. ... It's treating every asset as important. Our offense hurt our defense. ... We didn't execute and it gave them life."
"It's treating every possession as important. … We didn't execute and it gave them life."
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 17, 2022
That's what makes the win over the Mavericks so appealing — it was a complete change from what happened in Utah's most recent game before.
Going up against a major stronghold in the league and arguably the best clutch shooter in the game, the Jazz found themselves two behind in the fourth quarter after a three-pointer from Luka Doncic.
But what happened in the rest of the game was nothing short of a basketball poem.
Gobert was dominant at the defensive end, mainly when Doncic was switched on and guarded on the periphery. He helped limit the All-NBA guard to 0-for-5 off the floor, including a block on a clutch drive that would have given Dallas the lead.
"He (Luca) knows I'm trying to take his step back," he said. "Then he's driving and I know he'll try to use my body and then stop, so I have to stay balanced and absorb the contact. Then he's going to try and get me in the air." So I've got to stay down."
LOUD NOISES pic.twitter.com/OTZxwaET3D
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 26, 2022
More than Gobert's defense, the offense was in rhythm. Donovan Mitchell acted as catalyst and playwright, not taking a single shot but directing the offense in a way that took advantage of the mismatch.
In the final three minutes, Utah shot 3-for-5, 2-of-2 from the free throw line, and had no turnover. Similarly, Dallas went 1-for-7 off the field with one turnover.
"It was an important victory for us," Snyder said. "I thought, especially with those two guys (Michelle and Gobert), what we saw from them, the sacrifices that all of our people made at various times in the game for the greater good. ... I really appreciate our effort. Was happy. A team that is as good as anyone in the league right now."
goodnight, jazz fans
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 26, 2022
Utah, who has now won seven of its last eight games — including victories over Denver, Brooklyn, Golden State and Dallas — has also placed itself firmly in the number 4 seed in the Western Conference. But now the Jazz has an opportunity to continue climbing those rankings when it sets out on a five-game road trip — something they've struggled with lately.
After starting the season dominating the road with a 15-6 record, Utah is currently on a six-game losing streak at Vivint Arena.
Make no mistake, the journey won't be easy as they meet league-leading Phoenix Suns on Sunday before joining the same Mavericks team on March 7. But these are all winable games, especially ones without everyone looking at Sun-star point guard Chris Paul and Utah now 2-0 against Dallas this season.
Between those matchups, the Jazz will face Houston, New Orleans and Oklahoma City, three teams ranked in the bottom four of the Western Conference standings.
The way Utah played on Friday night, it wouldn't be surprising to see this team go at least 4-1 on the road trip, which could signal to the rest of the league that the Jazz is back and off to a bad start. falling after.
"It felt really good," Michelle said. "When you downvoted it, we did what we should have done. That's how we need to look at it."