Game Info
- Tip Off: 6:00 PM PST
- Television: CSNBayHD
Utah Jazz Team Profile
- Offensive Efficiency: 91.5 (30th in NBA)
- Defensive Efficiency: 104.7 (27th in NBA)
Scope the Opposition: Salt City Hoops.
Preview: The Golden State Warriors (7-3) travel to Salt Lake City tonight to take on the Utah Jazz (1-10) in the second game of a home-and-home set.
The Dubs defeated the Jazz at Oracle Arena by double digits and in the process, they highlighted Utah’s offensive woes. The road team shot 45.5 percent in that contest but coughed up the ball 17 times versus 18 assists.
The Jazz offense has simply been awful so far this season and it would appear that this will continue to be the case going forward.
The Warriors on the other hand are slowly but gradually morphing into a contender. They are taking care of business against teams with poor records by playing tough defense and rebounding the ball.
Indeed, Golden State outrebounded Utah by 10 in their previous encounter and also, they kept them off the free throw line. That defense will have to come through again tonight on the road in a venue that has traditionally been a tough one for opposing teams.
Granted, if the Warriors submit another hot shooting night, the defense might not matter. Mark Jackson’s group converted 51.3 percent of their field goals the last time around against tonight’s opponent and furthermore, they drilled nine-of-21 treys.
Klay Thompson led the way with 25 points on nine-of-14 shooting from the field while Stephen Curry struggled with his stroke. If Thompson warms up against the Jazz tonight, Tyrone Corbin might elect to stay at home on him and consequently, David Lee and Andre Iguodala will be afforded some driving lanes.
One thing to keep an eye on is Utah’s competitive spirit. Only one of their road games has been decided by less than double figures and that occurred against the Phoenix Suns. By contrast, Gordon Hayward and company have been better at home as evidenced by their minus-7.2 scoring differential (they are minus-15.2 on the road) at Energy Solutions Arena.
Questions or comments? Feel free to leave them in the comments section or you can contact me by email at [email protected].