Utah Jazz blast New York Knicks, 106-85

Utah Jazz guard Raul Neto (25) guards New York Knicks guard Jose Calderon (3) during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2015, in Salt Lake City.

The New York Knicks will get their three-game west coast trip started tonight when they pay their one and only visit of the season to the Utah Jazz. Hayward would lead the Jazz to a 106-85 blowout win over the New York Knicks.

NY saw why the Jazz are a top four defensive team in the league, allowing only 96.8 points per game per NBA.com.

Hayward was aggressive from the opening tip and shot 9 for 14 from the field, including four 3-pointers, to go along with four rebounds and five assists.

Fisher’s free-falling Knicks trailed 15-4 after five minutes, 29-11 after one quarter and by 32 points in the second quarter in a defeat that has left them a season-worst three games under.

Hayward and Derrick Favors combined to score 15 of Utah’s first 18 points as the Jazz sprinted out to an 18-4 lead.

Carmelo Anthony leads NY in scoring at 21.5 points per game.

Jose Calderon had 10 assists, his most since coming to the Knicks in a June 2014 trade. It was easily the Knicks’ worst effort of the season. The Kings this season have been a bit inconsistent on how they play against certain opponents, and that trend can not be executed tonight in front of the whole nation to watch. “Two very different nights obviously”, said Jazz coach Quin Snyder said, whose team lost 114-106 to the Kings the previous night. Cousins averaged 30.5 points and 10.5 rebounds and F Rudy Gay averaged 27 points as the Kings won both of last season’s meetings.2. Lopez has three rebounds in 56 minutes over the Knicks’ past three games.

Fisher, who noted that his beard is “definitely more salty than when I played here, ” said he still has good memories of his time in Utah.

The secret might be New York’s revamped training staff. Per Marc Berman of the New York Post: “The Knicks promoted Erwin Benedict Valencia to director of training and conditioning, added Shimon Ishikawa as performance analyst and Erika Whitman as the team’s new sports dietician-the latter of whom helped Porzingis put on 11 pounds after summer league”. It was a great example of defense, even defense without Rudy Gobert anchoring the team, as the Knicks scored just 35 points at the half, in direction comparison. So for the Jazz to come this close says a lot about their team.

It should make for a good game, as we will see which team runs the similar style better. NY scored 24 points apiece in the second and third quarters to pull within 23, 82-59, going into the fourth quarter. I was ready to play, but that was coach’s decision. Jazz guard Rodney Hood was ejected in the fourth quarter after bumping Vujacic hard while the NY player was on a fast break. “I think we have to be careful how we rest him”.

Whether or not the Jazz are going to be successful during this stretch of games without Rudy Gobert is going to be largely dependent on if they play defense like Wednesday night, or if they play defense like Tuesday night.

After the Knicks’ last loss, Fisher said they have “gotten stagnant and kind of leveled off”.

Friday night Utah will face the Oklahoma City Thunder (12-8) again in Salt Lake City and then travel to Oklahoma to face them again Sunday night. “We’ll be good to go”.