Utah Jazz

Utah Jazz: A Dozen Games, A Dozen Highlights Part Two

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Dec 8, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) dunks the ball during the second half against the Golden State Warriors at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Golden State won 106-99. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

Now that the Utah Jazz have 24 games under their belts, here’s a look at a dozen more highlights from their last slate of games.

After the Utah Jazz’s first 12 games they held a 7-5 record in the season’s early going. Now with another dozen out of the way, they’ve improved their record to 14-10 on the year, not bad at all considering the insane amount of injury problems they’ve struggled through.

And no matter who has been on the court, the Jazz have found a way to compete as evidenced by their commendable effort against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday as well as their winning seven of eight games prior to that despite missing several key guys during that stretch.

And with those big performances, the Jazz continue to reward us with highlight after highlight. I already showed you my favorite from the first twelve games of the season, so how about we make it a tradition. Here are some standout highlights from each of the Utah Jazz games 13 through 24 of the 2016-17 season.

Nov 17, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz forward Joe Johnson (6) dribbles the ball as Chicago Bulls guard Dwyane Wade (3) defends during the second half at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Chicago won 85-77. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

11/17-11/20

11/17 Utah vs. Chicago

This first set of games will be a little sad to revisit as each one ended in a disheartening loss. But in this TNT match-up against the Chicago Bulls, while points were hard to come by for the most part, this fast break alley-oop to Rodney Hood as Utah started to build some momentum was one of the bright points of the game.

11/19 Utah at Houston

Again, the Jazz struggled to score against the Houston Rockets in a game where George Hill’s steadying presence was severely missed, but his back-up, Dante Exum, sure had a nice move against the Rockets. Exum has struggled quite a bit in recent games, so it’d be nice to see him get back to his aggressive and effective ways as he displayed in the highlight below.

11/20 Utah at Denver

Once more, there weren’t a lot of great takeaways from this loss to Denver (trust me, these comments and highlights get a little more cheery on the next slide), but Rudy Gobert came out with a lot of energy in the game and was rewarded with this nice put back.

Next: 11/23-11/28

Dec 3, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward (20) shoots against Denver Nuggets forward Wilson Chandler (21) in the fourth quarter at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The Utah Jazz defeated the Denver Nuggets 105-98. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

11/23-11/28

11/23 Utah vs. Denver

George Hill’s return helped get the Jazz back to their winning ways as he was phenomenal in Utah’s big win over Denver. Thus it only seems appropriate to feature this incredible and-one finish by GH3 himself. Man, how we need him back again and soon! Love Bolerjack’s reaction to this one as well!

11/25 Utah vs. Atlanta

There were plenty of highlights to choose from in Utah’s 95-68 annihilation of the Atlanta Hawks, but I thought I’d give the defense some love with this incredible come-from-behind swat courtesy of Gordon Hayward.

11/28 Utah at Minnesota

Again, it was another solid performance for the Jazz in their win over the young Timberwolves as they were able to squash a fourth quarter comeback bid and close out the final period in dominant fashion. This high-flying Trey Lyles throw down was certainly a nice part of Utah’s solid offensive showing in the contest.

Next: 11/29-12/3

Nov 29, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) and Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward (20) celebrate after Gobert blocks Houston Rockets shot during the fourth quarter at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Utah Jazz win 120-101. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports

11/29-12/3

11/29 Utah vs. Houston

The Utah Jazz looked like a completely different team than when they took on the Rockets in Houston the week prior as they were on fire from deep and ran away with a convincing win. Again, there were a ton of highlights to choose from and lots of clutch threes, but the way Rudy Gobert flat-out stifled Nene at the rim was just too impressive to not include here.

12/1 Utah vs. Miami

George Hill’s return to action was unfortunately very short lived as he suffered a sprained toe in the win against the Rockets. Perhaps the Jazz had grown too accustomed to having him around because they were simply unable to take care of business against the Heat. Gordon Hayward did have this awesome spin move to score though, so perhaps that can be a bit of a silver lining for you.

12/3 Utah vs. Denver

For the third time in two weeks, the Utah Jazz found themselves matched up once more against the Denver Nuggets and, despite a furious comeback attempt, the Jazz managed to stave them off for the win, thanks largely to some lockdown defense, such as this incredible Rudy Gobert block at the rim.

Next: 12/5-12/8

Dec 5, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) grabs a rebound against Los Angeles Lakers forward Larry Nance Jr. (7) at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

12/5-12/8

12/5 Utah at Los Angeles

Gordon Hayward was the standout star in Utah’s win over the Lakers earlier this week. One of the most notable aspects of his performance was how well he moved without the ball as he made several cuts to the basket that led to easy hoops. We’ve seen Gordon Hayward involved in a lot of alley-oops this season and this one certainly did not disappoint.

12/6 Utah vs. Phoenix

The Utah Jazz were dominant in the third quarter of this game, but the Suns fought back to make it close with a huge run. However, Utah effectively shut the door on this awesome reverse alley-oop by Rudy Gobert that effectively iced the win. What a play!

12/8 Utah vs. Golden State

While this game certainly didn’t go as Jazz fans hoped, it was great to see the guys put up such a fight. Joe Ingles had a career night and was Utah’s most impressive producer. This steal and fast break right here perfectly exemplify the grit that the Jazz played with in this game that helped them compete with the top team in the league despite being down four starters.

More from Purple and Blues

So there you have it, 12 more games worth of spectacular plays from a Jazz team that has been a blast to watch so far this year. Look for Utah to add to the highlight reel as they take on the Sacramento Kings tonight at 7 PM MT at Vivint Smart Home Arena.

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