The Jazz started this one off on the wrong foot. They looked discombobulated, missing open shots and turning the ball over, and going down 18-8. After that, everything changed. Derrick Favors and Donovan Mitchell got hot, the Jazz went on a 9-0 run, and by the end of the 1st quarter they trailed by only two. Also, this happened:

In the second quarter, the Jazz turned things around. Rodney Hood got hot and started to hit threes, Joe Johnson, Ekpe Udoh, and Royce O’Neal played solid defense, and the Jazz went up ten by halftime.

The run, which started at the 18-8 mark, continued into the third, with the Jazz extending it to 59-28. Four minutes into the third, the Jazz were up by 17, their largest lead of the night.

To add insult to injury, Donovan Mitchell did this:

Not only that, but he followed it up with an alley-oop and a pullup jumper in DeAron Fox’s face. The Kings wouldn’t go away, though, as THE KOOF (Kosta Koufous) and George Hill helped the Kings pretend as though they weren’t tanking, working the deficit down to 12 points. Raul Neto responded with a 3-pointer, though, and the Jazz went into the fourth quarter up 15.

The Kings, to their credit, kept competing. Cauley-Stein, Hill, and Bogdanovich kept things at least somewhat interesting, but the Jazz matched them stride for stride to start the fourth. The rest was pretty much garbage time, but Donovan kept scoring. Sidenote: if you don’t follow Becky Lindsey on Twitter, you should.

All in all, the Jazz beat a team they were supposed to beat, which, well, hasn’t happened for awhile.

Game Notes:

• Haywood who?

Donovan Mitchell finished with 34 points on 14-19 shooting. 5-7 from the line. The crazy part? Only three of those points were from beyond the arc.

• Maybe Rodney was fueled by the boos. He had a line of 25/8/2, going 4-9 from downtown. It was nice to see him have a good game at the same time as Mitchell. The two combined for 59 points.
• Former Jazzman George Hill played well, though it didn’t feel like a “revenge game” to me. He totaled 20/5/2.
• Bogdan Bogdanovich may be Sacto’s best player. He shot a blistering 9 for 11 from the field, scoring 25 points.
• The schedule is starting to lighten up a bit, but their next opponent isn’t exactly a cupcake. They visit Kristaps Porzingis and the New York Knicks on Friday.
• Good, solid win. Enjoy this one! Also, you have my permission to send this dude all of the Donovan Mitchell dunk highlights. But don’t be too mean about it.

GO JAZZ GO!