Jazz May Face Heavier Challenge During Looming Pelicans Rematch
Fresh off a win against the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday, the Utah Jazz are going right back at it in a rematch, once again in the Delta Center. The Jazz showed out on the defensive end to take home the first one 105-100, but tonight’s game may prove to be a steeper hill to climb.
The Jazz will fortunately be getting Jordan Clarkson back into the lineup for this one, who missed his last game with an illness. However, All-Star Lauri Markkanen will miss his second straight with hamstring soreness. Seeing how this team can continue to replace the production of their top scorer will be a key to how Utah will fare.
While the Jazz did put together a great defensive effort on Saturday, it was also paired with a pretty subpar performance on the other side of the ball. As a team, they shot a combined 43.7% from the field, along with a 34.9% clip from beyond the arc. With no Markkanen and Clarkson, it’s easy to see how and why the efficiency took a dip, but there has to be some improvement going into their second against the Pels.
Along with their shot efficiency, this team has to put a heavier emphasis on ball control. The Jazz were outmatched in turnover differential against New Orleans, 23-13. While Utah was able to pull out a win in a close fashion, it’s hard to find consistent success when making that many mistakes. It comes with playing a smarter, more methodical brand of basketball on Monday.
You can also expect Zion Williamson to return to the lineup for New Orleans after resting for Saturday’s game. It’ll be a stout task for Walker Kessler to handle for his second game back from injury, who posted a double-double off the bench in his return to the lineup.
It remains to be seen if Kessler will be inserted back into the starting five after coming off the bench on Saturday, but his substantial role on the defensive end will remain. It won’t be easy to stop a team with this type of talent two times in a row, but considering how this team managed to get stops against New Orleans a couple of nights ago, it’s very feasible.
If the Jazz can hone in on Zion Williamson from a defensive standpoint, put together a clean performance shooting the rock, and limit mistakes, they can easily find a path to lift to 2-0 on the season series. However, the Pelicans will surely be hungry to get back into the win column after falling off their three-game streak.
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