How to Watch Pacers' Game With Jazz on Friday; Gametime, TV, Point Spread
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Coming off a win in the second night of a back-to-back against the Rockets in Houston on Wednesday, the Pacers (26-28) travel to play the Jazz (41-14) in Utah on Friday. All of the travelings will likely take their toll on the Pacers, but they have an impressive road record of 17-12 this season.
The Pacers remain as the 9th seed in the Eastern Conference but only qualifies them for the NBA's new play-in style tournament. The rest of the way, every game will remain important in keeping themselves afloat in a tight playoff race at the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
The Bulls, Wizards and Raptors all currently sit within five games of the Pacers, and the Raptors and Wizards can catch fire at any point in the season with the cache of players they have on their rosters.
Over on the Jazz side of things, they have had a Cinderella-like story in the Western Conference this season. They are the number one seed in the NBA's toughest conference and have the NBA's best record.
While no one sees the Jazz knocking off the Lakers or Clippers in a playoff series, the Jazz have still been the best team in the NBA through the regular season to date. Led by All-Stars Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, the Pacers will have a lot to deal with on Friday afternoon.
There is still no word on if Myles Turner and Doug McDermott will play as of 2:00 a.m.
- Who: Indiana Pacers (26-28) vs. Utah Jazz (41-14).
- When: 3:00 p.m. ET, Friday, April, 16th.
- Where: Vivint arena, Salt Lake City, Utah.
- Line: The Jazz are favored by 9.5 points according to the FanDuel website as of 1 a.m.
- Standings: The Pacers are currently the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference. The Jazz are 1st in the Western Conference.
- Series history: Indiana leads the all-time series, 46-45.
- Last meeting: Both teams last played in Indiana on February 7th, 2021, and the Jazz held on for the road win 103-95. Donovan Mitchell scored a game-high 27 points.
- Projected Jazz starters: Mike Conley, Donovan Mitchell, Bojan Bogdanovic, Royce O'Neale, Rudy Gobert.
- Projected Pacers starters: Malcolm Brogdon, Caris LeVert, Edmund Sumner, Justin Holiday, Domantas Sabonis.
- TV: Fox Sports Indiana/NBA T.V.
- Announcers: FOX Sports Indiana – Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (studio host),
- Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan - Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Eddie Gill (analyst), Pat Boylan (sideline reporter/host)
Here are three things to watch in Friday's battle in Utah:
1.) Containing former Pacer Bogdanovic
The 6'7" sharp-shooter spent two productive years in Indiana, which landed him a massive contract with the Jazz in the summer of 2019. Before his injury last season, he had been averaging over 20 points shooting over 41% from the three-point range per game. This season, he has proven to be the ultimate glue-guy for the NBA's team with the best record. He is averaging 15.2 points per game and shooting 38.4% from the three-point range. Letting him knock down three-pointers opens up the entire offense for Utah. The Pacers must keep their former teammate in check.
2.) Will the two best defensive centers in basketball duel?
Myles Turner has now missed five consecutive games but is on the trip, and head Nate Bjorkgren, made it seem on Wednesday night like Turner could return soon. On the other hand, Rudy Gobert is a 2x All-Star and 2x Defensive Player of The Year. On the season, Gobert is averaging 2.8 blocks per contest. Meanwhile, Turner is still trying to win his first Defensive Player of The Year award and is averaging 3.5 blocks per game. The Pacers will desperately need Turner on the floor to match the defensive intensity of Gobert.
3.) Home-court advantage meets road success?
The Indiana Pacers are 17-12 on the road this season, which is sharp. However, the Jazz sit at 25-3 on the season in Utah. The Jazz own their home-court advantage. Playing there is like playing in a playoff game for most visiting teams, and keeping up their hot offensive streak which has them averaging over 126 points per game in their last five contests, will be critical. It's unlikely they will defend better than Jazz, who sit at 4th in the NBA in points allowed. Out-scoring them is their best bet.
