What to Watch For: Utah Jazz vs Portland Trail Blazers
Rudy Gobert (27) guards Damian Lillard (0) in a game between the Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers
The Utah Jazz dropped their second game in a row in an overtime loss to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night. The Jazz will make the short flight back to Utah to take on the Portland Trail Blazers later this evening.
Jazz vs Trail Blazers Throwback:
Utah and Portland have gone head to head 193 times throughout the two team's histories, with the Jazz leading the all time matchups record 105-88. The Jazz are currently on a two-game winning streak against the Blazers, dating back to last season.
The Jazz and Blazers went toe-to-toe during the first game of the year, finishing in a Utah win 120-100. Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert led the Jazz with 20-points a piece while Joe Ingles added 7-assists in the opening game's victory.
Key Players:
Tonight's key matchup will be between two of the most lethal and underappreciated guards in the league, Donovan Mitchell and Damian Lillard.
Donovan Mitchell (45) scores against the Portland Trail Blazers
Mitchell leads the team in points (25.8), and is second on the team in assists (5.4) and steals (1) per game. Mitchell has led the team in scoring through eleven of the last thirteen games, dating back to March 14, when Rudy Gobert led the team with 24-points. During the Jazz last game, Mitchell finished with 41-points and 8-rebounds.
Lillard leads the team in points (29.2), free-throw percentage (93.5%), and assists (7.7) per game. During his last time out, the former Weber State Wildcat finished with 11-points and 6-assists in Portland's loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Fun Facts:
Utah will return to Vivint Smart Home Arena, wearing their new green uniforms for the fifth time since the All-Star break. The Jazz are currently 3-1 in their 'Earned Edition' uniforms, with their last win in these jerseys coming against the Memphis Grizzlies on March 31.
Does Donovan Mitchell deserve to be a part of the MVP talks? He surely made a case for his name to be in the mix with a 41-point performance against the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday. Read more about the thought process behind this question here.
The Utah Jazz have the top three longest win streaks in the entire NBA this season. They've won 11-games in a row between January 8, 2021 and January 29, 2021, 9-games in a row between February 2, 2021 and February 17, 2021, and their second 9-game winning streak between March 19, 2021 and April 3, 2021. The next closest winning streak is an 8-game winning streak, held by the Atlanta Hawks, Milwaukee Bucks, and Brooklyn Nets.
The Utah Jazz lost their second game in a row on Wednesday, giving them a 8-2 record in their last ten games. Utah is 38-13, and are hanging on to first place in the NBA. Utah leads the Phoenix Suns by one and a half games and the Los Angeles Clippers by four and a half games in the Western Conference. They also lead the Brooklyn Nets by two and a half games and the Philadelphia 76ers by three games in the Eastern Conference.
The Portland Trail Blazers are 30-20 so far this season, and are 3-2 in their last five games. During that time frame, the Blazers beat the Toronto Raptors, Detroit Pistons, and Oklahoma City Thunder. In that same stretch, Portland lost to the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Clippers. They are currently in ninth place in the NBA, and sixth place in the Western Conference.
Mike Conley (right hamstring tightness) is once again listed on the Jazz injury report, which likely means that he will not play due to injury management. Tonight's game is the second in back-to-back nights, which makes sense to be cautious with his injury. Conley is listed as day-to-day as of Thursday morning. The Jazz injury report also includes Jordan Clarkson (right ankle sprain) who is 'doubtful', and Juwan Morgan (calf) and Elijah Hughes (Illness) who are both listed as 'out' against the Portland Trail Blazers. Norman Powell (toe) is listed as 'probable', while Jusef Nurkic (knee) is 'questionable' and Zach Collins (ankle) is listed as 'out' on Portland's injury report against the Jazz.
How to Consume:
The Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers will face off for the first time since opening night tonight at 8pm MST. Jazz fans can watch the game on AT&T SportsNet, and can also tune into the game on 97.5FM or 1280AM.
Georges Niang (31) celebrates in the Utah Jazz win over the Portland Trail Blazers
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