Ranking Every 2019-20 Utah Jazz Game: The Top 12

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Utah Jazz, like the rest of the NBA, are on hiatus amid the coronavirus outbreak that has sidelined professional sports across the country. Whether the league will continue its season this summer, or whether the season will be considered a loss remains to be seen.

With 64 games under the Jazz belt, and a record of 41-23, leading the team to the fourth seed in the Western Conference, there are reasons for both optimism and pessimism about the team’s season. With that in mind, KSL Sports has ranked all 64 games from the Jazz in order of worst to best. This is a ranking of games 12-1.

These are the best wins of the 2019-20 Utah Jazz season.

You can find Games 64-51 here.

You can find Games 50-38 here.

You can find Games 37-26 here.

You can find Games 25-13 here.

As @KSLSports continues our ranking of every game from the @UtahJazz this season, we dive into the top 25 games of the year. #TakeNote https://t.co/n9kY2hymcb

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) March 24, 2020

12. Jazz Out Race Pacers 112-88 In Utah

During the Jazz best stretch of basketball, it seemed nobody in the league could hang with the team. In no game was that more accurate than the team’s annihilation of Indiana Pacers.

Indiana was 12 games over .500 heading into Utah, and a Locke to make the Eastern Conference playoffs, but simply stood no chance against the Jazz at home. The Jazz held the Pacers to just 88 points, while keeping Indiana’s leading scorers (Aaron Holiday and Myles Turner) to just 12 points each for the game.

No Jazz player saw more than 32 minutes on the floor as the Jazz coasted to one of the easiest, and most impressive wins of the season.

11. Jazz Open Season With Win Over Thunder 100-95

At the time, nobody in the league knew how good the Oklahoma City Thunder would be this season. Despite a talented roster, the team appeared to be in rebuilding mode after trading Paul George and Russell Westbrook during the offseason.

The Jazz erased a six-point deficit entering the fourth quarter and held off the Chris Paul led Thunder thanks to 32 points and 12 rebounds from Donovan Mitchell.

Depending on how the season ends, the Jazz win over the Thunder to open the season might be one of their most important wins of the year.

Donovan Mitchell going to the rim with a purpose #TakeNote #utahjazz https://t.co/mswkFuB8kZ pic.twitter.com/3stkyAWBW3

— Jeremiah Jensen (@JJSportsBeat) October 24, 2019

10. Jazz Overcome Blazers 117-114 In Salt Lake City

The Jazz have traditionally struggled when Mitchell has failed to score the ball efficiently. They’re even worse when an opposing superstar is in his groove.  Both of those scenarios were apparent when the Jazz faced the Portland Trailblazers in early February, but the Jazz broke with tradition and squeaked out a win anyway.

Damian Lillard scored 42 points against the Jazz, including 27 in the first half to help the Blazers build a 14 point halftime lead, while Mitchell was held to just 16 points for the game.

However, a lockdown defensive effort held the Blazers to just 42 second-half points, allowing the Jazz to control the game for most of the fourth quarter and avenge a 17 point loss in Portland just one week earlier.

9. Jazz Swish The Nets in Brooklyn 118-107

Capping their longest winning streak of the season, the Jazz cut down the Brooklyn Nets 118-107 to record their 10th consecutive win.

Mitchell returned from an illness that caused him to miss the previous game to score 25 points, while Joe Ingles matched his career-high of 27 points and the Jazz coasted to a double-digit victory.

The Jazz have been a team dominated by both positive and negative moment this season, and at no point was the momentum more than their backs than during this 10 game winning streak.

Wonder if @Joeingles7 told him before he faked it?

Did he tell you @ZachLowe_NBA? pic.twitter.com/wPLDo114yO

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) January 15, 2020

8. Jazz Block Mavericks 112-107 At Home

Occasionally throughout the NBA season, it feels like the entire basketball world has its eyes on one game. With a rare 5 pm tipoff in Salt Lake City, the world was truly watching as Rudy Gobert, Kristaps Porzingis, and Luka Doncic faced off at a time when much of Europe could tune in.

Doncic dominated the first quarter scoring 12 points and building an 11 point Mavericks lead after 12, but Quin Snyder’s adjustments throughout the game allowed the Jazz to limit Doncic’s brilliance.

With just 24 seconds left in the game, Gobert recovered for an improbable block against the Delon Wright to preserve the Jazz one point before finally putting the Mavericks away.  Gobert would finish with 22 points, 17 rebounds, and five blocks, while connecting on all eight of his field-goal attempts to down Dallas in one of his most dominant performances of the season.

The reigning DPOY is LOCKED in 🔒 pic.twitter.com/YJE7vYHAnE

— NBA TV (@NBATV) January 26, 2020

7. Jazz Outnumber 76ers 106-104 In Utah

The Jazz entered the offseason with their sights set on combo forward Tobias Harris as a free agent target. However, the Philadelphia 76ers opted to bring the forward back on a massive contract extension, forcing the Jazz to examine their contingency plans.

The resulting moves landed forward Bojan Bogdanovic in Utah, and against Philly in early November, the Jazz back up plan looked like the premiere option.

Bogdanovic scored 20 points, and the Jazz were +21 with him on the floor while Harris managed just 16 points in 34 forgettable minutes. The Jazz outlasted the 76ers 106-104 to give the team their best win through the first eight games of the season.

6. Jazz Enter All-Star Break By Cooling The Heat 116-101

Immediately following the All-Star announcements of Gobert and Mitchell, the Jazz would proceed to lose five consecutive games, appearing to be headed towards a disastrous close to the first half of the regular season.

However, the team found their footing with a win over the Trailblazers and proceeded to win four straight games heading into he All-Star break, capped off with a 15 victory over the Miami Heat.

Trailing by five at half time, the Jazz outscored Miami by 10 in each of the final two victories to burn the Heat, and enter the All-Star break with the longest winning streak in the NBA.

5. Jazz Win Controversial Finish In New Orleans 128-126. 

It seems every matchup between the Jazz and Pelicans was due for some type of controversy this season, but none more so than the Jazz two-point victory against New Orleans in early January.

In the midst of a 10 game win streak, the Jazz ran into the scrappy Pelicans team on the third game of a three-game road trip.

Bogdanovic and Brandon Ingram were the leading catalysts for their teams success, but ultimately it was Gobert who saved the day for the Jazz. After a missed Bogdanovic three that would have sealed a victory for the Jazz, Ingram went coast-to-coast for a layup attempt that would have sent the game to overtime.

Gobert intercepted Ingram at the rim for a game-saving block, though the league would later state that Ingram was fouled on the play.

Yes he did

𝒱𝑜𝓉𝑒: https://t.co/pbl1LNQ23K pic.twitter.com/Hkgi3LVflv

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) January 7, 2020

4. Jazz Charm Celtics In Boston 99-94

Barely a week after losing a tough battle in Salt Lake City against the Celtics, the Jazz got revenge on their foes in Green in Boston.

In the third game of a four-game East Coast road trip, the Jazz were facing their toughest opponent of the bunch. Though the Celtics were playing shorthanded, the Jazz struggled to get their offense firing on all cylinders.

With Mitchell struggling to an 11 point, 3-15 performance, Conley carried the team with maybe his best performance in a Jazz uniform. The point guard scored a team-high 25 points while handing out five assists, and grabbing three steals to seal the victory.

Jazz fans were once again reminded of the team’s high ceiling with Conley playing at his best.

MIKE
C
Y pic.twitter.com/uUYRRRTaup

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) March 7, 2020

3. Jazz Outsize Rockets In Houston 114-113

Going head to head with the Academy Awards, the Jazz were facing one of their toughest road tests of the season against the Houston Rockets. With the team trailing by two, Bogdanovic came through with a shot worthy of an Oscar.

After struggling for most of the game, Bogdanovic caught an inbound pass from Joe Ingles with 1.6 seconds left on the clock. With no option but to turn and fire, the Jazz forward sank a 35-foot three-point shot over PJ Tucker and James Harden.

The shot was only Bogdanovic’s second made field-goal of the game, but gave the Jazz one of their most improbable wins of the season.

BOGEY AT THE BUZZZZZEEEEERRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!! #TAKENOTE pic.twitter.com/87djt8z8My

— Zak Hicken (@zakhicken) February 10, 2020

2. Jazz Buck Milwaukee 103-100 In Utah

Like the Jazz victory over the Rockets, the team needed a clutch shot late to beat the team with the league’s best record.

Milwaukee Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer rode star Giannis Antetokounmpo to a 28 point, nine rebound second-half performance, it was once again Bogdanovic who got the last laugh.

After a strong closeout from Gobert forced Bucks star Khris Middleton into a traveling violation on a potential game-winner, the Jazz had one last chance at a victory.

With 1.3 seconds left and Ingles once again inbounding the ball, Bogdanovic split to the baseline for a fadeaway three-point that fell through the net as the buzzer expired. The shot propelled Bogdanovic to a game-high 33 points and one of the Jazz best wins of the season.

1. Jazz Sink Clippers In Los Angeles 120-107

While it lacked the last second flair of the wins over the Rockets and Bucks, perhaps no Jazz victory was more improbably than the team’s win over the Los Angeles Clippers shortly after Christmas day.

When both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George suit up this season, the Clippers are nearly unbeatable. However, on one memorable Saturday night, the Jazz found the right combination to avenge an early-season late-game loss in Los Angeles to down the Clippers superstars.

Mitchell scored a game-high 30 points, including an emphatic fourth-quarter dunk after driving past Leonard to help the Jazz steal the win in LA.

The Jazz held Leonard and George to just 39 points on a combined 12-44 shooting, turning in their most complete performance of the season against one of the league’s most dangerous teams.

it must hurt to be a rim around @spidadmitchell pic.twitter.com/nwocbj3Z0k

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) December 29, 2019

You can find Games 64-51 here.

You can find Games 50-38 here.

You can find Games 37-26 here.

You can find Games 25-13 here.