Utah Jazz Starters Struggle In Loss To New York Knicks

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The starting lineup for the Utah Jazz struggled for the second straight game as the team suffered a loss to the New York Knicks.

The Knicks hosted the Jazz at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, January 6.

New York defeated Utah, 112-100.

Jazz Starters

All five members of Utah’s starting lineup record a negative plus-minus rating during their time on the court. They combined to turn the ball over 11 times.

The @UtahJazz lose 112-100 to the @NYknicks.

Jazz blew an 18 point first half lead, and a 12 point halftime lead.

Mitchell, Conley, and Bogdanovic combine to shoot 13-47 for 38 points.

Tough performance. #TakeNote pic.twitter.com/zbeRqnJ8Gj

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) January 7, 2021

Donovan Mitchell led the Jazz starters with 18 points on 8-23 shooting.

Rudy Gobert was Utah’s only other starter to score in double figures with 14 points. He also pulled down 12 rebounds.

Bojan Bogdanovic, Utah’s second-leading scorer from last season, scored six points on 2-10 field goals.

Donovan Mitchell and Bojan Bogdanovic are a combined 6-22 from the floor and 3-12 from three.

Mitchell is -14 and Bogey is -17.

Jazz hanging close despite their go-to scorers from last season shooting poorly once again.

— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) January 7, 2021

Bright Bench Play

The bright spot for the Jazz came from the second unit, led by Jordan Clarkson and Joe Ingles.

After trailing early in the contest, Clarkson and Ingles sparked the offense and helped Utah to leads following the first and second quarters.

Clarkson ended the game with a team-high 19 points. Ingles added 16 points.

Utah’s four bench players that saw action all posted positive plus-minus ratings in the loss.

Here's a look at the 23 first half points by the #UtahJazz bench:#TakeNote pic.twitter.com/DXNkOX9MZr

— Sam Farnsworth (@Samsworth_KSL) January 7, 2021

Knicks Run

In the second half, the Knicks took over with back-to-back 34-point quarters.

During the final minutes of the game, New York’s Austin Rivers had a run where he outscored the entire Jazz team, 14-4.

Austin Rivers has 14 straight points for the Knicks.

Has four threes and a runner to beat the buzzer on a broken play.

Jazz down 110-100 with 36 seconds left to play. #TakeNote

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) January 7, 2021

Julius Randle was one of three New York players to score 20 or more and finished with a game-high 30 points.

Rivers closed with 23 points and Elfrid Payton added 22 points.

Utah ended the contest shooting 44.0 percent overall and 31.8 percent from three.

New York shot 51.7 percent from the field, including 36.4 percent from downtown.

The #Knicks played with a much higher level of energy than the #UtahJazz in the 3rd quarter. They scored on 10 of their last 11 possessions to take the lead.
Bogdanovic, Mitchell, Clarkson all scoreless in the quarter.#TakeNote l #UTAatNYK pic.twitter.com/zrd5zp2Qjx

— Sam Farnsworth (@Samsworth_KSL) January 7, 2021

Up Next

With the loss, the Jazz fell to 4-4 on the season and 3-2 away from Vivint Arena.

Utah’s next game is against the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday, January 8 at 6 p.m. (MDT). The game will broadcast on AT&T SportsNet and 97.5 FM.