Ambitions were high for Utah Jazz fans as they hoped their beloved team would alleviate some of the misery of 2020 by stomping the Phoenix Suns on New Year’s Eve. The Jazz opened up the game looking engaged both offensively and defensively. Donovan Mitchell asserted his will early on with a quick 4 points and an alley-oop to Gobert. However, the strong start didn’t last long. Jazz offense became stagnant with a lot of standing around and minimal ball movement.
Favors came in and scored a quick 5 points to put the Jazz up 16-15 with just under 3 minutes left in the first.