Deseret News - 5 takeaways from the Utah Jazz's 114-98 win against the Brooklyn Nets

[Deseret News - Jazz]

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Jazz recovered from a slow start and never let up, beating the Brooklyn Nets 114-98. Behind 21-13 early, the Jazz took the lead on a 27-2 run that put them in control for the remainder of the contest.

Here are five takeaways from Saturday night's win:

• Players and staff from the Jazz and Nets organizations alike came together in Vivint Arena to demonstrate their unwavering support for one another in the effort to combat and denounce racism in light of recent events both in Utah and around the world.
• The Jazz were able to make good use of their bigger players and bullied the undersized Nets throughout the game. Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors controlled the paint, forcing bad shots and recording seven blocks between the two of them. Gobert scored 23 points with 16 rebounds, Favors scored 13 points with 12 rebounds. The Jazz outrebounded the Nets 64-44 and scored 48 points in the paint to the Nets' 38.
• Donovan Mitchell and D'Angelo Russell are two young guards who have established themselves as legitimate All-Stars with promising futures. Mitchell shined tonight with solid shooting and flashy plays. Leading the Jazz with 24 points, he pulled down six rebounds and provided four assists. Russell struggled shooting from the floor, but his impact on the Nets cannot be understated as his exit from the game correlated with the team's early collapse. Russell scored 20 points, second-most on the Nets behind a 22-point performance by Spencer Dinwiddie.
• The Jazz continued their season-long trend of dominating on defense, holding Brooklyn to 98 points and allowing it to shoot only 35 percent from the floor. Their defensive play has been the driving force behind the team's three-game win streak and has set it apart from most other teams in the NBA.
• The Jazz climb to 40-29 on the year and remain in seventh place in the Western Conference behind the red-hot Spurs, who have won eight straight. The Jazz hit the road for their next four games, facing some of the weakest teams the NBA has to offer. The Jazz will need to take advantage of their remaining schedule, which features only two teams currently above .500, if they want to move up in the standings.

Next 3:

• Monday March 18, at Washington (30-40), 5 p.m. MDT
• Wednesday March 20, at New York (13-56), 5:30 p.m.
• Thursday March, 21, at Atlanta (24-46), 5:30 p.m.

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