UTAH JAZZ
Fourth Quarter Collapse Costs Jazz Another Huge Lead
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Jazz collapsed in an all-too-predictable fashion as they fell to the Golden State Warriors 111-107 on Saturday.
The Jazz led by 21 in the first half and 16 with just under eight minutes left to play but gave up an 18-0 run during a six-minute stretch to watch another massive lead disappear.
Over their last four games, the Jazz have blown three double-digit leads that resulted in losses, including two games with leads of at least 21 points. The result marks the 15th time the Jazz have lost a game after leading by double-digits this season.
The last two @utahjazz losses have come after leading by at least 21 points, including tonight's fourth quarter collapse against the @warriors. #TakeNote https://t.co/jv88hTZXFf
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) April 3, 2022
The Jazz were led by Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley who scored 26 points each, though Mitchell went scoreless in the final period.
The Warriors were led by Klay Thompson who scored 36 points as Steph Curry missed his eighth consecutive game with a foot injury.
Minus Trent Forrest, the Jazz had their full rotation for the first time in several weeks after Hassan Whiteside returned from a bone spur injury.
Remarkable Fourth Quarter Stats
Of the Jazz’s 15 blown double-digit leads this season, none have had as much flair as this loss to the Warriors.
Rudy Gobert’s putback dunk off a missed Conley runner gave the Jazz a 103-87 lead with 7:54 left to play, and that marked the last semblance of team basketball the roster played all night.
After Gobert’s basket, the Jazz shot just 1-13 from the floor to close the game, missed four of their five shots inside the paint, and all eight three-point attempts.
Here are a look at the Jazz numbers during the final 7:52 of their latest collapse against the @warriors. #TakeNote | @KSLSports pic.twitter.com/LX9EdpRptv
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) April 3, 2022
The Warriors went 0-6 inside the arch over the same stretch but knocked down 6-11 threes to outscore the Jazz 24-4 to close the game and walk away with the win.
Golden State went 6-6 from the free-throw line in the stretch while the Jazz shot just 2-4.
Mike Conley was the only Jazz player to make a field goal over the final eight minutes of the game while Bojan Bogdanovic and Rudy Gobert each made a free throw.
After turning the ball over just seven times during the first 36 minutes of the game, the Jazz committed five giveaways over the final eight minutes to seal their all-too-familiar fate.
Donovan Mitchell missed all four of his field-goal attempts during the stretch while turning the ball over once and failing to grab a rebound.
Bogdanovic went 0-3 with two rebounds and a turnover.
Gobert went 0-2 with five rebounds and two turnovers, including a crucial throw away after getting a potentially game-saving stop with 20 seconds left to play.
Jazz blown double-digit leads resulting in losses this season is up to 15.
@ Magic
vs. Grizzlies
vs. Pelicans
vs. Wizards
vs. Spurs
@ Raptors
@ Pistons
@ Lakers
vs. Rockets
@ Lakers
@ Spurs
vs. Bucks
@ Mavericks
@ Clippers
@ Warriors— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) April 3, 2022
He also committed offensive goaltending by hanging on the rim on what would have been a made Conley runner.
Even when including the 12-2 run to open the fourth quarter that allowed them to build a 16 point lead, the Jazz recorded just one assist in the final period.
As a team, the Jazz shot 6-21 from the floor over the final 12 minutes of the game.
It’s difficult to blow huge leads in the NBA, but the Jazz have become masters of the craft. With just four games left in the regular season, this might be their magnum opus.
Standings With Four Games Left To Play
The Jazz had gotten help in the Western Conference playoff race in recent days with the Warriors having lost five of six coming into Saturday night’s game, and both the Dallas Mavericks and Denver Nuggets losing on Friday night.
However, the Jazz squandered that goodwill by blowing their enormous lead in Golden State.
With the loss, the Jazz fall three games back of the Warriors with four games left to play while giving the Warriors the tiebreaker by way of winning the season series 3-1.
The @utahjazz magic number remains at 2 to avoid the play-in tournament after the Timberwolves beat the Nuggets last night, and the Jazz fell to the Warriors tonight.
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) April 3, 2022
The Jazz would have to finish the season with a blemish-free 4-0 record while the Warriors would have to go winless for the Jazz to overtake them in the standings.
The Mavericks now own a two-game lead over the Jazz for the fourth-seed and with it homecourt advantage in the playoffs.
The Jazz also fell even with the Nuggets at 46-32, though the Jazz sit ahead of Denver in the standings by way of the tiebreaker having swept the season series 4-0.
The team’s magic number remains at two to avoid the play-in tournament in the postseason. The Jazz need any combination of two of their own wins or Minnesota Timberwolves to avoid the seventh seed.
