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Utah Jazz: Top 10 moments from 2017-18 NBA season

By Simon Smith

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - APRIL 21: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz reacts during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game Three of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 21, 2018 at vivint.SmartHome Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - APRIL 21: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz reacts during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game Three of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 21, 2018 at vivint.SmartHome Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images)
(Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images) /

8. First quarter avalanche vs. the Detroit Pistons

Placed ninth in the Eastern Conference standings and with their season seemingly on the line, the Detroit Pistons made the trip to Salt Lake City on March 13 in must-win mode. However, those hopes were very quickly extinguished with the manner in which the Jazz started the game.

Exploding out of the gates, the Jazz put up a 42 points in the first quarter, their highest return for any quarter over the course of the season. As a team, the Jazz shot an incredible 17-of-21 from the field, including 6-of-9 from long range in the opening period.

Not surprisingly, the Jazz’s 13 assists for the quarter were also the highest return for any quarter throughout the season. Considering they ranked 28th in the league for first quarter assists at 5.7 per game, this recording was clearly well above expectations.

Following this incredible performance, coach Snyder paid credit to the work put in on the defensive end of the floor:

"“I thought we came out in the right frame of mind, just to defend and paying attention to detail on the defensive end. When you do that, you become instinctive offensively, and I thought our reads early were really good. Made good decisions, made the extra pass.”"

In addition to their offensive dominance, the Jazz also held the Pistons to 21 points on just 9-of-23 for the quarter, including 0-of-6 from long range. For the game as a whole, the Jazz held the Pistons to just 79 points, including just 5-of-25 from deep.

Overall, the Jazz had six players score in double figures, led by Rudy Gobert with 22 points and 12 rebounds. While the win brought the Jazz’s winning streak to seven games, the Pistons found themselves with a 30-37 record, and virtually out of the playoff race in the Eastern Conference.

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