NBA:: Hayward homecoming failed! Utah Jazz sweep Boston Celtics out of the hall

On Gordon Hayward’s return home, Utah Jazz beat Boston Celtics 123-115 to celebrate their second victory in a row.

Even without Kyrie Irving, who had travelled to the funeral of his late grandfather, the Celtics started the game furiously and forced Utah coach Quin Snyder to an early timeout thanks to a 10-0 run. But he seemed to have found the right words, so that Utah responded cool with a 12-0 run on her part and went into the first break with a two-point lead (27-25) thanks to a threesome from Donovan Mitchell.

Former Home Town Hero Gordon Hayward, in his first appearance at the Vivint Smart Home Arena since his change, earned a loving round of booing on every ball contact and cheering on every field goal he discarded, as expected. This seemed to unsettle him, especially in the second section, which made some weak throws and a turnover noticeable. The result was a new run for the Jazz, which came especially by the zone again and again to high-percentage conclusions.

But also Rubio and Co. were too lapidary with the spalding and destroyed by unnecessary ball losses (10 in the first half) again and again even their momentum. At the end of the half-time, however, “Slow-Mo Joe” Ingles ran really hot again and gave Boston 13 points in a row, including three consecutive baskets from the perimeter. This gave the Australian a nice 20 points at half-time and the Jazz a seven-point lead (58:51).

And the jazz continued after the cabin speech exactly where they had stopped. Because Ingles now regularly attracted two defenders, Mitchell took over the game more and more. First he lured Tatum in veteran style into a throw foul in a triple attempt, before he brought the arena to the boil with an inimitable layout. On the other side, Utah shone with several defensive stops and was able to quickly distance themselves with 15 points – a distance they could hold almost until the end of the third quarter.

But the goblins didn’t want to admit defeat. Favoured by some Jazz turnovers, the Celtics made a rapid catch-up chase and were suddenly back on four points six minutes before the end. The result was a racy back and forth. But Gobert closed the zone with three important blocks at the back, while Crowder finally put on the lid with a clutche triple almost 30 seconds before the end.

Utah Jazz vs. Boston Celtics 123:115 (BOXSCORE)

Quin Snyder (HC Utah): “It was a game like any other. The most important thing is that Boston has a very good team and we needed a home win.”

Joe Ingles. The Australian showed a fantastic performance, especially in the first half, and was responsible for the Jazz going into the locker room with a good cushion almost single-handedly. In the second section he cooled down a bit, but always knew how to use his team-mate wisely (7 assists) and grabbed a handful of boards. In the end he scored 27 points (10/14 FG).

Jaylen Brown. The 22-year-old did not find his throw during the whole game and therefore left a lot of open throwing opportunities (4/17 FG). Even on the defensive, he didn’t always work at the height and missed some decisive switches.

Quin Snyder had obviously adjusted his team perfectly to Boston’s elite defensive. Jazz mostly knew how to read the upcoming Doubles teams and find the resulting free man on the grand piano.