The Utah Jazz didn’t make many tactical adjustments in the third quarter of Monday night’s 104-89 win over the Dallas Mavericks.
As they had in the first half, they switched all over the court defensively when the Mavericks ran them through myriad pick and rolls. They made sure to put a hand up on Dallas’ shooters when they spotted up for 3-point shots. And they focused on finishing possessions with box-outs and rebounds.
But where the Jazz failed at this in the first two quarters, they thrived in the second half. And that’s why Utah was able to erase a 53-44 halftime deficit and open up a 76-68 advantage heading into the final 12 minutes.
“They came out with more aggression in that third quarter,” Dallas guard and former Jazz guard Devin Harris said. “That’s something that we’ve been struggling with, and it kind of knocked us back on our heels. It took our momentum, and it’s hard to come back from that.”
The Mavericks went 9 of 14 from 3-point range in the first half. They shot 48 percent from the field. J.J. Barea lit the Jazz up with 17 points in the first two quarters, and the Dallas built a 51-37 lead toward the end of the first half.
Vivint Smart Home Arena was quiet. Jazz coach Quin Snyder, having already called two timeouts, seemed exasperated. It looked like a long night for Utah.
But the Jazz refocused in the third quarter. Their biggest first-half flaw? They reacted too much to Dallas guards penetrating the lane. They committed too much to help defense and that led to kick-outs to wide-open Mavericks shooters.
That stopped in the second half. The Jazz stayed home and disciplined. They funneled everything to Rudy Gobert and Utah’s center blocked a season-high six shots as a result.
“In the first half, we had to fight some of our habits,” Jazz guard Rodney Hood said. “They make you overhelp and they stretch you out for threes. They shot the lights out in the first half. We took more pride in keeping guys in front of us in the second half. We were able to rebound and get out in transition.”
The Mavericks scored just 36 points after halftime, and Barea was held scoreless after his first-half explosion. Conversely, Hood scored 20 of his season-high 25 points in the second half, with 15 coming in the third quarter.
“A number of times in the first half, when someone was going to the rim, we collapsed on them defensively. That’s a habit, and in many ways a good one. But tonight’s an adjustment guys had to make and they did.”