For most of the first half, the Thunder managed to limit the Jazz’s three-point shooting, but Utah didn’t panic. Instead, they stayed composed, relied on their defense to keep the score close, and patiently executed their team-oriented offense. In half-court sets, the Jazz repeatedly ran pick-and-roll plays, with Ricky Rubio taking advantage of Russell Westbrook’s four fouls to drive aggressively and create easy scoring chances for Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert. Aside from the occasional one-on-one plays by Donovan Mitchell,

In their latest playoff matchup, the San Antonio Spurs struggled mightily from beyond the arc, shooting just 4-of-28 from three-point range—a dismal 14.3% conversion rate. Against a team like the Golden State Warriors, known for their explosive perimeter shooting, that kind of inefficiency spelled trouble from the start. According to Cricket Exchange, once the Warriors find their rhythm from deep, it’s nearly impossible to stop them with defense alone. If the Spurs can’t match Golden State’s outside firepower, the odds