6th January - New Orleans Pelicans VS Utah Jazz - 12-24
Against several odds, we managed to eke out a victory last game courtesy of JJ Redick hitting a cool game-winner. That was against Sacramento, a team which has been struggling a lot to garner wins recently and which have been having a very rough time of it. Tonight we return home to face off against the Utah Jazz, a team who are 23-12 and have lost only a single game since December 11th, going 11-1 in that time period.
Back home for #PelicansGameday💥
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) January 6, 2020
⏰: 7:00 PM
📺: @FOXSportsNOLA
🎙: @ESPNRadioNOLA 100.3 FM
📱: Follow along on the Pelicans app! pic.twitter.com/zkElXdqFRm
Of course, that's no reason not to try and go for the win, so what kind of team are the Jazz up until this point in the season?
18th in pace, 7th in defense, 19th in offense, those numbers alone tell you a lot about the Jazz. Defensively based, which we all expect from a team anchored around reigning DPOY Rudy Gobert, the Jazz focus on a slightly slower, more half-court game that allows them to exert defensive pressure and be more methodical with their offense. Anyone who has watched the Jazz this year knows that their offense has been inconsistent, largely due to a fairly dramatic slump from Mike Conley (who is out for this game). Beyond that, one of the most consistent threats that Utah's bench units have used for the last few seasons, the Favors/Ingles PnR, has been taken away from them due to the loss of Favors.
One thing to look out for is that the Jazz are an efficient team. While their pace drags down their number of shot attempts compared to some of the more athletic teams, (they are dead last in FGAs per game, for example) they are efficient with them: the Jazz are 9th in FG% in the league, and 1st in 3PT%, shooting 38.8% from 3 as a team.
Beyond that, they're bottom 5 in assists, steals, and blocks, something that comes as a mild surprise given Gobert's presence, but there it is. They are, however, 3rd in Defensive Rebounding, so it's not like Gobert isn't doing anything at all; he's averaging 14/14 with 2 blocks per game at the moment.
Despite the Jazz's enviable record and their strong showings over the last several weeks, they aren't unbeatable. They have clear weaknesses, and are a team that we can steal a win from if we come together and play to the best of our abilities. Will we do that or not? Well, that remains to be seen, but it's all possible.
Let's go, #WBD.
 |
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Wowowowow
