"We've Got To Figure This Out Together" | Late Rally Falls Short

With no Donovan Mitchell for the night, Utah knew it would need contributions from others to help make up for the absence of the two-time all-star.

Led by Bojan Bogdanovic’s game-high 29 points, multiple Jazz stepped up and rose to the occasion. Unfortunately, Utah couldn’t stop the red-hot Rockets from beyond the arc, falling 116-111 on Wednesday night.

“We just had multiple breakdowns over the course of the game in a defensive capacity,” head coach Quin Snyder said. “Not focused on the details of what we are trying to do on the defensive end. … We weren’t communicating and reacting collectively. They were getting clean looks because we either didn’t communicate, or we made a mistake. … They shouldn’t have gotten a lot of those.”

With the absence of Mitchell and his team-high 25.5 points per game, the Jazz needed somebody to take over as the primary scorer. Just like he’s done in the past, particularly in situations like this, Bogdanovic more than filled that role.

His 29 points were the second-most he’s scored this season, dropping 36 against Denver two weeks ago when Rudy Gobert was absent.

Against Houston, Bogdanovic shot 11-for-27 from the field, adding five rebounds. He continued to show that he’s as complete a scorer on the team, punishing smaller defenders down low while still knocking down three three-pointers in the process.

| Bojan with a big (29 point) performance tonight #TakeNote | @ZionsBank pic.twitter.com/7kv9grQsCt

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) January 20, 2022

Gobert’s streak of double-doubles came to an end at 16, but he still finished with 23 points, nine rebounds, four assists (season-high), two blocks, and two steals.

His length and physicality proved difficult for the Rockets as Gobert finished 9-of-13 from the field and 5-for-7 from the free throw line. Most impressively, he was able to find the open man after Houston tried to double-team him anytime he caught the ball in the post.

“I’m not worried. … I’m not worried at all,”Gobert said. “I’m a competitor, and no one likes losing at home. … Every single guy on the court has got to be accountable. … And that starts with me.”

all-star all-star#NBAAllStar | @rudygobert27 pic.twitter.com/OCSKJnIoIW

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) January 20, 2022

Jordan Clarkson was another bright spot offensively for the Jazz, made even more special considering Utah was celebrating “Filipino Night — A celebration of Culture and Tradition.”

He finished with 19 points, four rebounds, and four assists, shooting 7-of-13 from the field.

what in the wizardry was that#TakeNote pic.twitter.com/BNLjzVDhxr

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) January 20, 2022

Without Mitchell, who has been particularly impressive in the first quarter of games this season, the Jazz got off to a rough start in the opening 12 minutes as they trailed 36-27.

Not to be outdone, Utah found their rhythm on both ends of the court in the second quarter.

They battled back in the second quarter, getting critical stops while hitting big shots to find themselves trailing by three late. But that’s when the Jazz stepped it up even more, going on a 14-4 run to lead 62-57 at the half.

However, the Jazz couldn’t keep up their hot streak coming out of the half, scoring just 19 points in the third quarter to find themselves trailing 83-81 entering the fourth.

Struggling to get stops, Utah turned up the defensive pressure over the game’s final four minutes, holding Houston scoreless for three minutes. The Jazz were able to cut the deficit to two points during that span, the last bucket coming on a great play by Royce O’Neale as he soared for an offensive rebound to find Bogdanovic open in the corner for a three-pointer.

The Rockets pushed the lead back to five points on the ensuing possession, but Mike Conley drilled a three-pointer to make it a two-point game with 1:33 to go. Unfortunately, that was as close as Utah would get the rest of the way.

“We have too many black holes, too many up and downs during the game, especially on defense,” Bogdanovic said postgame. “That’s what we have to focus on first because right now, I don’t see anybody hitting shots, especially me.”

the three that got everyone on their feet #NBAAllStar | @mconley11 pic.twitter.com/FmsgDgj8A3

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) January 20, 2022

Conley finished with 17 points, four assists, three rebounds, and two steals, while Joe Ingles — starting in place on Mitchell — finished with 10 points, six assists, and five rebounds. Although O’Neale finished with just three points, he did finish with a career-high 15 rebounds and five assists.

Utah will look to regroup on Friday — and hopefully get back some more key players — when they host Detroit. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. MST.

“We’ve proved that we’re not going to walk in and win games,” Ingles said. “We’ve also proved we’re a really good team. We’ll come in and watch film tomorrow, and have another crack at it on Friday.”