"We'll Be Better" | Shorthanded Utah Gives Defending Champs All They Can Handle In Defeat

Playing their fourth game in three days — and sixth in nine days — a weary Jazz team had the opportunity to make a statement to the rest of the NBA.

Utah took on a well-rested Milwaukee Bucks squad and took the defending champs down to the wire before eventually coming up short in a 117-111 loss on Monday night.

“These are the type of games hopefully we are going to continue to be in, and ideally finish on the other side,” head coach Quin Snyder said postgame. “They (Milwaukee) made some plays defensively that were unique plays. … But we also had some opportunities.”

While there are no such things as moral victories this late in the season, there is a multitude of positives that Utah can take away from the result.

Apart from the natural fatigue and weariness that sets in after such a physically taxing time, Utah battled to the very end against a Bucks squad that entered Monday the healthiest it’s been since the season opener.

Also, the Jazz were without starting forward Bojan Bogdanovic, who missed the game with a left calf strain. He’s been playing some of the best basketball of his career lately, averaging 27.3 points over the previous four games as he appeared fully healthy from a finger injury that caused him issues earlier in the season.

“We missed him,” Rudy Gobert said of Bogdanovic. “Sometimes, it might feel like we take him for granted because he’s so good. … But we missed him because he’s been great for us.”

“It’s hard to predict exactly how long it takes, whether it’s a game, two games, three games,” Snyder said regarding Bogdanovic’s time frame. “I know how he is. … He’ll want to be out there soon as he can.”

Starting in place of Bogdanovic, Danuel House Jr. drew the initial assignment of defending Milwaukee all-star Khris Middleton. While he played tough defense to start and knocked down a three-pointer, House left the game in the first quarter with an unspecified knee injury.

He will receive an MRI on Tuesday, but Gobert and his teammates are optimistic that it’s nothing serious.

say something nice about @bucketsoneale00 pic.twitter.com/dJcP91bGmo

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) March 15, 2022

Another positive — and arguably the biggest one — was that Mike Conley finally saw the ball go through the hoop.

Amidst one of the worst shooting struggles he’s experienced since joining Utah in 2019, Conley and Snyder both insisted that the point guard had played very well of late — the ball just wasn’t going in the hoop.

That all changed on Monday.

Averaging just 6.6 points per game this month, Conley dropped a team-high 29 points on 10-of-13 shooting, including a 6-for-9 performance from three-point territory. He added seven assists and two steals, overcoming arguably the best group of defensive guards in the league to break out of his slump.

When asked what’s changed between Monday night and the rest of the month, Conley was blunt and honest with his response, “the ball went in.”

“The biggest thing that I’ve talked about is just continuing to be aggressive,” Snyder added. “That’s what he (Conley) was tonight, and whether the ball is going in or out, we need that from him and he gave it to us.”

yeahhhhhh Mike! pic.twitter.com/gnKYntoAg1

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) March 15, 2022

It is no surprise that with Conley finding a much better rhythm and initiating the offense, Gobert also had a big night.

Going against the smaller Bucks, Gobert made his presence felt all game long by finishing with 18 points and 14 rebounds. While he had no blocks, he constantly altered Milwaukee’s shots around the rim, making life difficult for Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo throughout the game.

back passes it backwards to Rudy!#TakeNote pic.twitter.com/6ZFPiDwU4w

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) March 15, 2022

Utah came out on fire from beyond the arc to start in what was clearly the most entertaining and hard-fought game of the season. The Jazz knocked down 10 threes in the opening quarter, with Mitchell, Conley, and Royce O’Neale knocking down at least two. But they could not find much separation as Milwaukee was efficient inside the arc, as the Jazz led 39-37.

The second quarter belonged to Antetokounmpo and the Bucks as Utah’s hot shooting didn’t translate to the next 12 minutes, eventually going into the half trailing 68-59.

However, the third quarter belonged to the Jazz.

They came out hot with a 13-0 run and eventually led by as many as 11 as Conley, Mitchell, and Gobert played some of their basketball together this season. The offense was efficient with 10 assists on 12 buckets, while the defense forced five turnovers — leading to a 93-89 lead heading into the fourth.

But the final 12 minutes belonged to the Bucks as Utah went cold, shooting just 6-for-21 in the quarter. Although there were three lead changes and the score was tied twice, the Jazz could not capitalize on the defensive stops they got.

“I really felt like the shots that we got were good shots,” Gobert said of the fourth quarter. “I thought we had good stops, too, down the stretch. … Just a loss against a really good team.”

| Donovan with 5 or more made threes for the 15th time this season #TakeNote | @ZionsBank pic.twitter.com/7kLXmyJV4m

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) March 15, 2022

Mitchell finished with 29 points, eight assists, and six rebounds, while O’Neale added 12 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Hassan Whiteside finished with four blocks, all of which came against Antetokounmpo.

Milwaukee’s star finished with 30 points and 15 rebounds while Jrue Holiday and Middleton combined for 52 points.

The schedule doesn’t lighten up as Utah returns to action on Wednesday when it hosts the Chicago Bulls — tipoff is set for 7 p.m. MST.

“We will. … I will. … We’ll be better,” Mitchell said.