Jazz stress needs for improved isolation defense in Tab vs. Bucks – Deset News

Guarding Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo is a tough task for any NBA team, and Utah Jazz found that it was first -handed Monday night at the Delta Center.

In a 125-110 victory, with Milwaukee Bucks led pretty comfortably everywhere-icing in the second half-combined Lillard and Antetokounmpo to score 70 points as they coasted past the jazz to their 26th victory. The loss fell to 10-34 and noted the sixth loss of jazz in a row and their ninth defeat in the last 10 games.

Milwaukee fully utilized a jazz scoring of drought extending over six minutes at the start of the third quarter, which Outscored Utah 16-0 over that time.

“For us, it’s just that we have to stop the races. That’s the biggest thing. I think we overreacted a little with some situations on the races to make it go on, to be honest, ”said Jazz Guard Isaiah Collier.

From that time it was mostly all the bucks, although jazz showed some determination in the fourth quarter to cut the big lead to 12 points several times.

Antetokounmpo scored 35 points and added 18 rebounds and seven assists, while Lillard, the former Weber State star, also spoke 35 points to go with eight assists and four rebounds. It was the first time that Superstar Duo has each scored 35 points since they went together in Milwaukee.

Utah offered some resistance to Bucks that shot 60.5% off the field on Monday. Coach Will Hardy attributed a lot of the defensive questions to poor isolation defense that appeared again and again in the loss.

“We get too easy on the attack, and it puts a lot of pressure on the weak side. With a player like Giannis, with a guy like lady, if you get blown off in a straight line, you’re in a really, really hard place. Everyone for a man needs to do a better job of protecting individually, ”Hardy said.

Too often Monday night, the weak side assistance was late after someone got beaten, which put together the problem and resulted in Milwaukee Outscored Utah 64-42 in the paint.

“The second piece of it is the weak side is late and is part of it because there should be more resistance at the place of attack,” said Hardy, “but we also have to have a proactive mindset on the weak side of the floor Defensively, especially on an evening when Walker (Kessler) won’t play much and they will attack the paint. I felt it was the area of ​​the game that hurt us most. “

Not having Kessler on Monday certainly didn’t help things, although Hardy emphasized that Utah can’t trust him to clean up.

“We don’t want to be blown off. Walker is doing a pretty good job but we won’t make the game that he has to clean up a mess of every possession, because in the end we come where we want to go, we have to protect the ball much better that time, attack, ”Hardy said. “So there are probably five pieces in the game that you could go, ‘Maybe if Walker had been in, that acting would be different.’ But at the place of attack with defense tonight, I don’t think Walker would have changed that ton. “

Hardy said the jazz got away from the aid defense about 75% of the time, noting that the team’s mental focus needs to be improved.

“I think they are competing, but there is the physical part of competing, and then there is the mental part. And I think that right now in this area I think our mental focus has not been good enough in terms of how I need to set my body to give myself the best chance to protect this guy, ”Hardy said.

“I think our pick-and-roll defense has improved. I think our off ball defense has gotten better, but in half the court our insulation defense needs to get better. “

Isaiah Colliers Start Chance

Since the Guard Keyonte George was moved to the bench, the 29th total election isaiah Collier has got started in eight of jazz’s last 10 games, including Monday.

Collier registered 12 points and eight assists on 6 out of 9 shooting and added two rebounds and three steals in one of his most effective games in his young career.

“Yes, I think we just look at different things that work for us,” Lauri Markkanen said. “He has done a good job all year round and said clear, and he deserves the opportunity and he has played well.”

In turn, George played 31 minutes-the second largest on the team-and scored 15 points on 5 of 13 shoots while closing the game.

Jordan Clarkson’s return

After missing jazz’s last 10 competitions with the left plantar fasciitis, veteran guard Jordan Clarkson returned to the lineup and got off the bench to play 22 minutes.

Although it was not his most effective evening (he shot 4 for 12 from the field), he knocked four 3-points into the fourth quarter to bring some life into the Delta Center volume and get back into a groove after extended time away.