The Utah Jazz took a 2-1 series lead over the Denver Nuggets on Friday afternoon. Utah picked up this win in emphatic fashion, putting forth a convincing performance en route to a 124-87 win.
The Jazz were dominant on both ends of the floor all night. Their defense swarmed the Nuggets, while their offense looked nearly unstoppable. In fact, the first of our three takeaways from Game 3 sums things up pretty succinctly…
This Is The Jazz Team That Can Compete For A Conference Title
There was no super overwhelming favorite to win the title entering this year. In the West, the two Los Angeles teams were, of course, the favorites, while the Rockets and Warriors (whoops!) both had pretty reasonable odds. And then there were the Jazz, viewed as squad with the potential to make some noise and, if a few things went their way, make a run.
Utah has been up and down this season, but at their best, they’ve looked like a squad that can go blow-for-blow with anyone. They fought admirably but lost Game 1 against the Nuggets, picked up an impressive win in Game 2, and in Friday’s Game 3, the Jazz made a statement, picking up a convincing 124-87 win in which they looked like the better team from the opening tip to the final buzzer. Denver never quite threatened them, and even though the Nuggets are banged up, back-to-back convincing wins by Utah was a bit of a surprise.
When they’re humming like this — particularly to the extent they were in the first quarter, when Denver scored 14 points, had seven turnovers, and just looked discombobulated — the Jazz are a nightmare, even without Bojan Bogdanovic, who is out for the duration of the playoffs.
Mike Conley: Good!
Conley had to leave the Bubble as his wife gave birth to a son, and while he came back right after, he had to quarantine and only found out on Friday that he’d been cleared to play. He was playing some outstanding basketball before departing the Bubble, but it was a unique situation, and when Conley missed time earlier this year due to injury, the Jazz were fantastic, going 15-4 without him in December and January.
On Friday, Conley slid back into the lineup and did not miss a beat. The veteran guard scored 27 points on 9-for-13 shooting with four assists in 25 minutes of work. More importantly, he seemed like a calming presence on the floor, and the dynamic with him and Donovan Mitchell was wonderful — both guys were totally in sync with one another, and as a result, the Jazz looked great.
Utah might not need Conley to be at his best to win this series, but they need him to raise his game to another level if Utah is going to compete. If the Mike Conley that showed up on Friday night keeps showing up, then the Jazz are going to be really, really hard to beat.
Let’s Talk Centers
Both teams went into this series armed with an All-Star center who is capable of winning them ballgames at their best. On Friday, Rudy Gobert got the best of Nikola Jokic, although that kind of undersells what Gobert was able to do to Jokic on the evening.
Utah’s indomitable big man looked as good as he has all season, going for 24 points on 11-for-15 shooting with 14 rebounds in 32 minutes of work. He didn’t block any shots, but his presence was felt whenever he was on the floor. Jokic, meanwhile, really struggled: 15 points on 6-for-13 shooting, six assists, five rebounds.
It goes without saying, but Jokic has to be better. His ability to score, rebound, and distribute is unparalleled among big men, and while Gobert is a colossus in the heart of the Jazz defense, Jokic has still cooked plenty of outstanding defensive centers in the past. Keep an eye on this matchup in Game 4. If Gobert gets the best of Jokic again — particularly to this extent — it’s hard to see a path for the Nuggets to win.
