Sacramento Kings

Game 20 Takeaways – Utah Jazz at Sacramento Kings

November 26, 2018 by Kelby Jones Leave a Comment

Game 20 Takeaways

Utah Jazz at Sacramento Kings

Jazz end losing skid with help from Rubio’s big first half.

The Utah Jazz started off yet another back-to-back Sunday night by playing the Sacramento Kings for the third time this season. Utah was absolutely desperate for a win after struggling in recent matchups, but things weren’t looking up for the team before the game, as it was announced Donovan Mitchell would be sitting our the game with a rib contusion, which came from the play below:

Look how much weight @WayneSeldenJr puts behind this elbow RIGHT to @spidadmitchell’s gut … 🤨🤨🤨 pic.twitter.com/Hy2AE6z6Zg

— The Jazz Fan Show (@JazzFanShow) November 13, 2018

Fortunately for the Jazz, Ricky Rubio more than made up for the scoring missed by Mitchell’s absence. Rubio had 16 of his team’s 30 first-quarter points, and ended the night with 27 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists shooting almost 70% for the night.

On the back of Rubio’s big night, the Jazz get that much-needed victory 133 – 112.

Watch full game highlights below:

Utah Jazz at Sacramento Kings – Nov. 25, 2018

Game 20 Takeaways

Ricky Rubio Steps Up in a Big Way

The achilles heel of this season’s Utah Jazz team has been the undeniably slow starts. In fact, the word “slow” doesn’t even really do these starts justice…

Molasses Starts. Let’s call them Molasses Starts.

Anyways, Donovan Mitchell was forced to sit out this game with a rib contusion which came from the most recent game against the Grizzlies in Memphis.

Fans were wondering where the already-sparse scoring would come from with Mitchell out. And more importantly…

WHEN would it come? Would it be another slow start for the Jazz?

The answer, in short, is no.

But why?

His name is Ricard Rubio, and he had himself a night.

Rubio scored 16 of the team’s 30 first-quarter points, and ended the night just short of 30 points and 70% shooting.

So, how slow did we start with Rubio playing like he did?

Warms my heart…

Calling for the Curveball

Utah has been going with the same starting five for awhile now (when everyone is healthy, of course). That being said, there are times when a change is needed here or there to combat the opponents strength more efficiently.

When the Jazz faced Sacramento, we saw one of these changes to the lineup take place. Normally, Royce O’Neale or someone else would be plugged into Donovan’s spot straight up, but in this game, there was another change included.

Derrick Favors came off the bench, with Snyder instead opting to start Jae Crowder at the 4 spot.

This got me thinking about how being an NBA coach compares to being a major league pitcher in baseball. You have a certain, go-to arsenal of pitches. But every now and then, you have to switch things up because the batters have started to key in on some of your pitches.

This is exactly what Quin did by changing one small aspect of the lineup against Sacramento. But the question remains, will these be long term changes or were they just for an at-bat or two?

Is There an Unspoken “Hot-Hand” Rule?

On top of the lineup changes we mentioned above, we also saw some other unexpected lineups sneak into the mix, including keeping Rubio on the court for a long period of time with Dante Exum, normally his straight-up back up.

This, however, could have just been because Ricky had the hot hand (see above) in the first half.

I’ve noticed a pattern where the Jazz will continue feeding the rock, sometimes almost TOO obviously, to the player who made the last shot.

Do you think this is something Quin has worked into the offense, or is there just a “get the ball to the hot-hand” unspoken rule between Jazz men?

Thoughts?

Utah Jazz at Sacramento Kings – Nov. 25, 2018

Prop Results

Winner:

TIE

Kelby Jones (6) | Ryan Van Dorn (5)

About the Utah Jazz Fan Show

The Jazz Fan Show is a podcast and blog focusing on all things Utah Jazz. Founded by Ryan Van Dorn and Kelby Jones in September of 2018.

You can hear the show Sunday mornings from 9:00 – 10:00 AM MST on 1280 AM and 97.5 FM The Zone.

The Jazz Fan Show is also now available in podcast format! Click the links below and subscribe today!

iTunes

Spotify

JazzFanShow.com

TryDayTrading.com

1280TheZone.com

The Zone Sports Network App

Soundcloud

Why Subscribe to The Utah Jazz Fan Show?

The show began in an attempt to create more content around the Utah Jazz for the fans to enjoy.

Our goal has been to contact and bring together as many die-hard Utah Jazz fans as we can, and we’re having a great time doing it!

If you or someone you know love the Utah Jazz, contact us today for a chance to come on the show and discuss what it means to you to be a Utah Jazz fan!

PLUS, listening to The Jazz Fan Show is your best way to get information on upcoming giveaways!

The Utah Jazz Fan Show:

Where Everything’s Made Up and the Stats Don’t Matter

Game 18 Takeaways – Utah Jazz vs Sacramento Kings

November 22, 2018 by Kelby Jones Leave a Comment

Game 18 Takeaways

Utah Jazz vs Sacramento Kings

Jazz sputter after returning home after long road trip.

The Utah Jazz returned to Salt Lake City after a long five-game road trip took them across the country last week. There to meet them, the Sacramento Kings fully equipped with their new, young core of starts-in-the-making.

The Kings have been playing better than many expected so far this season. This after almost two decades of poor basketball.

The Jazz got off to yet another slow start that they weren’t able to overcome when all was said and done. Sacramento ends up stealing one in Utah 119 – 110.

Watch the full game highlights below:

Utah Jazz vs Sacramento Kings

Quick Takeaways

Takeaway #1

Fix the Slow Starts, Save the Season.

I know this has been a theme for me over the past … 10 games or so, but it just keeps paying out for me whether I want it to or not.

The Jazz are getting off to slow starts. I’m not sure why or what the solution is, but the slow starts are immediately hampering us night in and night out.

Last night’s score after the first quarter?

I know being down 11 after one quarter might not seem like cause for alarm, but when it’s happening over and over again, maybe it’s time to think about it as a root cause of our current record?

When you go down by so much so quickly, you and your team are forced to press the entire rest of the game. It’s like pacing yourself for a marathon by walking the first five miles.

It’s gonna take awhile, and a more concentrated effort to catch up.

This is what the Jazz are dealing with what seems like every single night of the season.

So how does Utah fix the slow starts? We’re yet to see. But there’s one thing I do know for sure…

Fix the Slow Starts, Save the Season.

Takeaway #2

The Word We Love to Blame: “Hangover”

The Jazz returned from a five-game road swing to face a Sacramento team they should have easily been able to beat… But they didn’t.

Of course, the first thing I like to do in these kinds of situations is launch a full investigation into why the whole thing isn’t our fault. The easiest way to accomplish this?

Blame it on a Hangover.

What does the word “hangover” mean in relation to sports? That’s the best part!

IT LITERALLY MEANS WHATEVER YOU WANT IT TO MEAN.

Team lost because they were lazy?

HANGOVER

Player recovering from the flu?

HANGOVER

Team unable to move, looks like they hate loud noises?

HANGOVER (this one may actually be accurate…)

The point I’m trying to make is that the Jazz lost to the Kings because they had just returned from five games on the road and had a

HANGOVER!!!

I expect everything to be corrected. Don’t ask me for any details.

Takeaway #3

Make It Interesting

The Jazz head to Los Angeles to face the Lakers and their new great God King LeBron James Friday night.

This will be the first time LeBron will face the Utah Jazz as a member of the Western Conference, which means the Jazz will be seeing a lot more LeBron moving forward.

Vegas seems to be favoring the Lakers in this one, but just by a hair. CLICK HERE to check out Bovada’s odds.

BUT, here’s the thing…

Utah, at least in my experience, seems to show up for these games whereas they may not be showing up for some of the others. By these games, I mean games that mean a lot to the national audience. Games that they shouldn’t win. Games surrounded by hype.

Me? I’m taking the Jazz. Why?

Utah Jazz vs Sacramento Kings

Prop Results

Winner:

Andy Allred (4)

About The Utah Jazz Fan Show

The Jazz Fan Show is a podcast and blog focusing on all things Utah Jazz. Founded by Ryan Van Dorn and Kelby Jones in September of 2018.

You can hear the show Sunday mornings from 9:00 – 10:00 AM MST on 1280 AM and 97.5 FM The Zone.

The Jazz Fan Show is also now available in podcast format! Click the links below and subscribe today!

iTunes

Spotify

JazzFanShow.com

TryDayTrading.com

1280TheZone.com

The Zone Sports Network App

Soundcloud

Why Subscribe to The Utah Jazz Fan Show?

The show began in an attempt to create more content around the Utah Jazz for the fans to enjoy.

Our goal has been to contact and bring together as many die-hard Utah Jazz fans as we can, and we’re having a great time doing it!

If you or someone you know love the Utah Jazz, contact us today for a chance to come on the show and discuss what it means to you to be a Utah Jazz fan!

PLUS, listening to The Jazz Fan Show is your best way to get information on upcoming giveaways!

The Utah Jazz Fan Show:

Where Everything’s Made Up and the Stats Don’t Matter

EPISODE 03 – Utah Jazz Season Begins, JabberJazz.com

October 21, 2018 by Jazz Fan Show Leave a Comment

Episode 03 | Utah Jazz Season Begins

On episode 04, Jazz Fan Show hosts Ryan Van Dorn and Kelby Jones discuss the results from the first full week of the Utah Jazz season before welcoming in this week’s superfan Kyle Crowther to discuss the Sportalk app. PLUS The Rev joins us from the road for his weekly sermon.

The Jazz Fan Show – By Jazz Fans, For Jazz Fans.

Enter to win a custom jersey signed by Donovan Mitchell at TryDayTrading.com!

About The Jazz Fan Show

The Jazz Fan Show is a podcast and blog focusing on all things Utah Jazz. Founded by Ryan Van Dorn and Kelby Jones in September of 2018.

You can hear the show on Sunday mornings from 9:00 – 10:00 AM MST on 1280 AM and 97.5 FM The Zone. If you’d like to be notified when articles and podcast episodes are released, subscribe below!

Game 01 Takeaways – Utah Jazz at Sacramento Kings

October 18, 2018 by Kelby Jones Leave a Comment

Utah Jazz at Sacramento Kings Goes Differently in Rd. 2

As the first regular season game of the season for both clubs, the Utah Jazz at Sacramento Kings game was surprisingly close.

Only days after absolutely massacring the Kings in preseason action, the Utah Jazz struggled to get things going throughout the game. Luckily, the Jazz bench came through to help the team eek out a six-point victory 123-117.

Game 01 Takeaways – Utah Jazz at Sacramento Kings

#1 | Starting Things Off the Right Way

If I were a betting man, my money would have been on a Derrick Favors dunk to open up this season’s scoring.

However, for one reason or another, the Utah Jazz had a hard time getting things started last night. Fortunately, Joe Ingles (AKA Old Reliable) finally broke the seal with a hammer dunk in the first quarter.

Can you think of a better way for the Jazz to open up the season?

I can not.

#2 | The “Ex” Factor (Sorry for Being So Cliche)

Who will Dante become this season? If it’s anything close to his role in last night’s victory, he’s worth every penny of that recent extension.

If you’ve listened to the show lately, you’ll know that I chose Dante to be my most improved player on the team as well as the most pleasant surprise.

After seeing him go from 2-feet behind the 3-point line to a ringer roll at the rim in TWO steps (see below), it’s looking like I made the right choice…

View this post on Instagram

That Danté speed 👀

A post shared by Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) on Oct 17, 2018 at 8:54pm PDT

#3 | Alec Burks = Spark Plug

We’ve heard over and over about how Alec Burks is looking like he did before the string of injuries. What did last night tell us?

When the Jazz got off to the terrible start, Quin Snyder brought Alec off the bench sooner than most expected. Why?

Because Alec is a spark plug.

The team couldn’t hit a shot. It was looking like the first game nerves were playing a big factor…

Alec Burks comes in, immediately gets the ball on the right wing and doesn’t hesitate to shoot.

WATER.

Can’t wait to see how he contributes this year. Could he be our official 6th Man???

Also, the bench in general was stellar:

#4 | The DNP

Grayson Allen didn’t get any time. Seemed kind of weird.

Is he really struggling as much as this makes it seem? I doubt it.

Also, I trust our coach. Hopefully Grayson figures it out soon and is able to contribute in a real way.

#5 | “When was the last time you were scared of the Sacramento Kings?”

In Episode 02 of The Jazz Fan Show, I asked Ryan this question. My answer was when Peja was on the team.

Guess who was in attendance at last night’s game?

Peja and Chris Webber.

Guess what? Still not scared.

About The Jazz Fan Show

The Jazz Fan Show is a podcast and blog focusing on all things Utah Jazz. Founded by Ryan Van Dorn and Kelby Jones in September of 2018.

You can hear the show on Sunday mornings from 9:00 – 10:00 AM MST on 1280 AM and 97.5 FM The Zone. If you’d like to be notified when articles and podcast episodes are released, subscribe below!

Takeaways – Utah Jazz vs Sacramento Kings Preseason

October 11, 2018 by Jazz Fan Show Leave a Comment

Utah Jazz vs Sacramento Kings Preseason

Jazz Stay Perfect

The Utah Jazz vs Sacramento Kings preseason game seemed to be over almost before it even started. The Jazz ended the first quarter up 39-10 and scored 71 points by halftime.

The game featured two organizations which have been on opposite sides of the spectrum as of late. The Jazz being picked to remain near the top of the western conference for the foreseeable future. The Kings, perennial cellar-dwellers without much hope staring them in the face.

This gap was extremely apparent as the Utah Jazz absolutely crushed the Sacramento Kings, in Sacramento, 132-93.

For a review of this game, CLICK HERE!

Takeaways – Utah Jazz vs Sacramento Kings Preseason

#1 | Who Will Be The Jazz’s Sixth Man?

This is a question I’ve found myself asking over and over throughout the preseason.

It’s no secret that the Jazz have quite the depth on their bench. The problem is that the Jazz seem to be so deep that I’m not sure who will lead that group.

I’ve narrowed my choices down to Jae Crowder and Alec Burks. Continue reading to find out why.

#2 | Jae Crowder on Movement

At Utah Jazz media day, Jae Crowder was able to speak about getting into better shape over the off season. He even mentioned losing around 14 pounds since last year. When asked why, Crowder responded because he wasn’t moving like he should’ve been.

Personally, I think Jae is going to have one helluva year. I’ve been saying from the very beginning of his Utah Jazz career that if he could just get an offseason with the organization, we’d be seeing a much-improved player in the year(s) to come.

This already seems to be the case, as Jae has already noticeably improved his game on both sides of the floor.

#3 | The Revival of Alec Burks

Another thing I’ve noticed is the amount of playing time Alec Burks has been getting.

Look, if there’s one thing we’ve noticed over the past few years, it’s that Alec Burks can score the basketball. The issue has been his consistency and health over long durations of time.

I could see this being the year the bad luck finally flips for Alec. He seems to be understanding Quin Snyder’s offense, moving well and even succeeding in it. We see less hard falls at the rim and a lot more long range shots hit nothing but net.

Look for Alec Burks to surprise us all a little by contributing in a much larger way this year.

#4 | Change to the Rules

As I was watching the game, I noticed Craig Bolerjack mention a change to the rules in the NBA this year.

The change comes to the shot clock, which will not reset to 14 seconds after hitting the rim instead of back to 24 seconds.

How will this affect the game? I’m excited and terrified to find out!

#5 | The First Thing I Notice About Thabo

Thabo Sefolosha has been a Jazz Man now for a little over a year. Each time he steps onto the court, I notice one thing: The Nike Air Max.

Thabo is the only player in the NBA who wears this shoe to play.

CLICK HERE to find out why.

About The Jazz Fan Show

The Jazz Fan Show is a podcast and blog focusing on all things Utah Jazz. Founded by Ryan Van Dorn and Kelby Jones in September of 2018.

You can hear the show on Sunday mornings from 9:00 – 10:00 AM MST on 1280 AM and 97.5 FM The Zone. If you’d like to be notified when articles and podcast episodes are released, subscribe below!