Utah Jazz
Let me just start this out by saying I love the style of basketball the Utah Jazz are playing. They deserved every point of their win over the LA Clippers on Wednesday. Their team play is not only incredibly sound but oh so pretty. With all the hype over the battle of LA, this is a team that should not be forgotten in the Western Conference.
The scoring was well spread out between four of Utah’s five starters with Mike Conley coming out of the slump he’s been in to start the season leading the way with 29 points, five assists, and two steals. Even just watching on TV, you could feel the elation of Conley’s teammates as he put together the kind of performance you’d expect of him. It doesn’t hurt either that he’s such a ridiculously likable guy.
All four guys who played off the bench also provided great production for the team. Joe Ingles especially had a good night scoring 10 points with two assists and seven assists.
Of course, the fact that Kawhi Leonard was out on load management most certainly has to be considered in the Clippers performance. But I’m not convinced it’s the kind of factor that tells us that this game likely would have gone any other way. Between Utah’s excellent team offense and their on-point defense, the Jazz will be right there come playoff time.