by Alma Bean
Feature Image: Photo by Jeffery D. Allred on Deseret News.
The Utah Jazz (10-6) take on the visiting Phoenix Suns (9-5) before leaving Salt Lake City for a quick two-game road trip.
What to Look For
Phoenix is coming into the matchup after a double-digit win against the struggling Golden State Warriors (6-9) 130-119. Lead by Devin Booker, who is leading the team in scoring with 26.6 points, and Chris Paul who is leading the team, second in the league in assists with 9.4. Though Utah shot 14/43 (32.6 percent) from three, Phoenix is in the bottom five in the league in opponent three-point percentage (38.1 percent). Utah is currently averaging 36.7 percent from beyond the perimeter this season, this might be the gameplan they want to use to exploit this solid Phoenix team.
A player for Utah to focus on is Simone Fontecchio. Fontecchio after Tuesday’s matchup against the New York Knicks, he is looking to take over Rudy Gay’s minutes while he is out. Gay is currently out for at least two weeks with a joint sprain on his left hand. Fontecchio, first year player from Italy, is looking to carve his way into the NBA as he has shown glimpses of three-point prowess including Tuesday night where he went 3/5 (60 percent).
Injury Report
Phoenix- Josh Okogie: Questionable (hamstring), Chris Paul: Questionable (heel), Jae Crowder: Out (personal reasons), Cameron Johnson: Out (meniscus), Landry Shamet: Out (concussion)
Utah- Ochai Agbaji: Out (G League), Leandro Bolmaro: Out (G League), Rudy Gay: Out (hand)
The Jazz will start this game at 7 p.m. MT on AT&T SportsNet.