"Mental toughness through fatigue."
Those were the words head coach Quin Snyder said before Utah tipped off with Portland on Wednesday night — and for good reason. Utah is coming off a five-game road trip, a back-to-back in their most recent set of games, and in the middle of a brutal stretch that has them playing six games in nine nights.
So yes, it would make perfect sense if the Jazz entered Wednesday tired and not mentally focused, especially against a Trailblazers team on a five-game losing streak.
Wasting no time messing around, Utah jumped out to a double-digit lead early on and never looked back, dominating Portland 123-85.