When it was all said and done, the Utah Jazz had blown out the Detroit Pistons in a Tuesday night matchup that meant everything to them.
As a team, it almost couldn't get any better than how they played with each other, shooting an astounding 81 percent in the first quarter, going 17-21 and essentially putting the game away early which even surprised rookie phenom, Donovan Mitchell.
We haven't moved the ball like that all season in my opinion. We were clicking and hitting shots.
The game ended in a 110-79 blowout and now there is no looking back. This win marks the Jazz's seventh straight win and going 8-2 in the last ten games put them at eight games above .500 at 38-30.
Depending on how you look at it, the West is still a brutal conference to play in and for the Jazz being eight games above even catapults them from the 10th spot in the playoff picture into the eighth spot for the time being.
They aren't done yet and their season will go down to the wire with other competing teams pushing for the same postseason opportunity as well.
What makes the Jazz's body of work stick out at this time is not how well they're moving the ball, but ironically it's their defense. Led by their anchor Rudy Gobert, The Beehive State's finest sit among the top teams in the league defensively, so it's no surprise they've been this hot.
During Utah’s 19-2 stretch since Jan. 23, the Jazz have cranked up the defense: pic.twitter.com/e7GHlB0CVx
— Jeff Zillgitt (@JeffZillgitt) March 14, 2018
Coach Snyder's team has literally turned up the fire and ranks No. 1 defensively since late January, and it's manifesting in the win column. There is likely no chance he wins Coach of the Year but should get plenty of honorable considerations once the season ends.
What should be the biggest hope for a team that's still getting better as the season comes to a close is that they don't burn out in the event they do make the playoffs.
Many believed the Jazz would take a step back after the departure of Gordon Hayward, but the impact of Mitchell has helped keep the team steady and their midseason trade also solidified how good they really are.
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