by Alma Bean
Feature Image: Photo by Alex Goddlett of Getty Images.
After a week-long break, the Utah Jazz (29-31) will take on the surging Oklahoma City Thunder (28-29) as the season goes down its final stretch.
What to Look For
Now with players rested after the NBA All-Star break, we have come to the final stretch of the season. With the season coming close to an end, the injury bug is starting to kick in and Utah is preparing for this. After the buyout of Russell Westbrook, Utah had a void at the point guard position and called-up Frank Jackson from the Salt Lake City Stars and also signed Kris Dunn from the Capital City Go-Go’s. Both Dunn and Jackson’s contracts are for 10 days and will give them an opportunity to prove they’re deserving of a roster spot while Collin Sexton is out till at least Monday when he’s reevaluated. With their opportunity of being in the NBA coming to fruition, they’ll have a tough challenge for their first game. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, and Jalen Williams will stand in their way giving them a look at the young stars of the NBA. Those three players average 59.3 PPG, 17.1 RPG, and 14.5 APG. After winning three of their last four games before the break, Oklahoma City
Key of the Game
Crash the boards for potential second-chance points opportunities. Even though Oklahoma City has allowed the least amount of second chance points this season, they allow the most offensive rebounds per game (12.1), but Utah isn’t far behind with 11.6 OREB. With the paint presence of Walker Kessler and Damian Jones, this could prove to be a problem for Oklahoma City if they’re not able to get the rebound.
Injury Report
Oklahoma City- Chet Holmgren: Out (foot), Aleksej Pokusevski: Out (lower leg)
Utah- Collin Sexton: Out (hamstring)
Where to Watch
Tip-off between Oklahoma City and Utah will be at 7:00 p.m. MT on AT&T SportsNet.