by Alma Bean
Feature Image: Photo by Trent Nelson of The Salt Lake Tribune
The Utah Jazz (14-11) takes on the Portland Trail Blazers (11-11) on the second night of a back-to-back.
What to Look For
Utah will be taking on Portland who has also had a surprising start to the season. Now currently .500 for the season, Portland is backed by their talented backcourt of Damian Lillard, Anfernee Simons and Jerami Grant. All three combined are averaging 72.3 of Portland’s 109.8 PPG.
Key of the Game
Utah will need to defend the perimeter as Portland is ranked fourth in the league (38%). They also have Simons who makes the second most threes in the league per game with 4.1 per game. If Utah wants to get the upper hand, they will need to be able focus their pursuit in the paint and be able to lockdown on their transition defense. With the tenacity of Collin Sexton, Hardy may want to consider using high minutes on him once again.
Injury Report
Portland- Keon Johnson: Out (hip), Damian Lillard: Out (calf), Nassir Little: Out (hip), Gary Payton II: Out (conditioning), Drew Eubanks: Questionable (hip), Josh Hart: Doubtful (ankle)
Utah- Mike Conley: Out (leg), Rudy Gay: Out (hand), Johnny Juzang: Out (wrist), Micah Potter: Out (G League)
Where to Watch?
Tip-off between Portland and Utah will be at 7:00 p.m. MT on AT&T SportsNet.