by Brandon Gardner
The Utah Jazz have won their games with style, winning by an average of 8.3 points. Utah has also averaged nine steals in all of their wins. The Jazz have only had one turnover in their first three games.
The Jazz are playing as a team and everyone is contributing well. Utah has a lot of leaders on the team with different players stepping up and leading the team every game. Their defense has also been improving.
Jazz head coach Quin Snyder said, “I think our guys take pride in our defense right now. … Defense travels. We’ve wanted to be a good road team, and that begins with playing good defense.”
The week that was
Utah barely lost their season opener against the Detroit Pistons 92-87. Derrick Favors had a great night and led the team with 26 points.
The team only got their first win of the season on Friday, October 30, dominating the Philadelphia 76ers 99-71. Five of the Jazz scored in double digits. Derrick Favors led the team with 20 points. The team shot 40.9 percent from the field and 53.8 percent from the 3-point line. Rudy Gobert shut down the Sixers with six blocks.
The Jazz won by 20 points again the next day beating the Indiana Pacers 97-76. Utah had six players that scored in double digits. Derrick Favors led the team again with 18 points, followed by Rodney Hood with 17, and Trey Burke with 15 points. The team improved and shot 44.3 percent from the field. The Jazz had 13 steals as a team.
The Jazz had a bad loss against the Portland Trailblazers on November 4, losing by 16 points. The Jazz did have four players with double digit points.
Thursday night the Jazz beat the Nuggets by 12 points. Gordon Heyward had a stellar game, scoring 20 points, with seven in the fourth quarter alone. Alec Burks had 12 points with eight assists.
Trey Burke led the team Saturday night against the Memphis Grizzlies with 24 points. Gordon Heyward was close behind with 18 points. Derrick Favors had 12 points with an outstanding 16 rebounds.
Game ball
The game ball this week definitely goes to Derrick Favors. He is second on the team in points, rebounds and blocks, averaging 14.7, 9.0 and 1.2, respectively. He is leading the team in steals as well, averaging 2.3 a game.
The week ahead
This week the Jazz are on the road. They will face the Cleveland Cavaliers (5-1) on Tuesday night. The Cavaliers' only loss came from the Chicago Bulls in the season opener. The Jazz always seem to find a way to beat the Cavaliers. Thursday night will face the Miami Heat (3-3), Friday night the Orlando Magic (3-4), and they end their road trip Sunday night pairing up with the Atlanta Hawks (7-1).
Division update
Utah is tied for first in the division with the Portland Trailblazers. The Minnesota Timberwolves are just half a game behind the Jazz with Oklahoma City just a one game behind.
Stat of the week
Rudy Gobert is leading the NBA in blocks averaging 4 blocks a game. He has 24 blocks this season. Last season Rudy Gobert ended third in the NBA in blocks averaging 2.3 a game. Gobert was second last year in total blocks with 189 on the season.
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