Utah Jazz: 3 takeaways from Game 3 vs. Thunder

Here’s a look at how the Utah Jazz were able to take down the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder in a crucial Game 3 of their closely contested playoff series.

The Utah Jazz’s uniforms weren’t the only things that were fire for Utah in Game 3. As the series shifted to Salt Lake City, the Jazz would win Game 3 against the Oklahoma City Thunder by a final score of 115-102.

Utah certainly went all out with its presentation for its first home playoff game this postseason. The Jazz came out swinging in the first quarter with a 10-0 run after being down early 10-8, and built an early lead. It didn’t last long though, as OKC went on a 13-0 run of their own, mainly spurned by Patrick Patterson’s scoring six points (two 3-pointers) in 30 seconds. 

In the second quarter OKC looked like it was starting to pull away, building a 12-point lead early in the second quarter. Turnovers on consecutive possessions for the Thunder allowed Utah to go on a 7-0 run. Pair that with strong assists numbers by the Jazz in the first half (13), and Ricky Rubio scoring 14 of Utah’s next 15 points, and the Jazz would enter the break with a five-point lead despite shooting 29.4 percent from deep at half. 

Speaking of Slick Ricky, he was spectacular in the first half. At the break, Rubio had 19 points (leading all scorers), seven rebounds and six assists, including going 6-of-7 from the free throw line. He would finish with a 26-point, 11-rebound, 10-assist triple-double, the first of his playoff career, but more importantly, accomplished a historic feat in the process: 

Rubio has long been known for his passing ability, but it was his offense that was on display Saturday night: 

https://twitter.com/NBA/status/987904589893652480

While Rubio was great, it was the (literal) absence of one key player that allowed for Utah to storm back to take the lead – Steven Adams.