Utah Jazz vs. Memphis Grizzlies: Keys to the Game
Dec 18, 2016; Memphis, TN, USA; Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (33) during the first half against Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
With the Memphis Grizzlies coming into Saturday’s game on the second night of a back-to-back, the Utah Jazz should have a great chance of logging a win over a tough conference foe.
After losing two straight games, the Utah Jazz got back to their winning ways with a solid win over the Los Angeles Lakers last night. While the victory wasn’t overly impressive, the Jazz took care of business and came away with a much-needed win.
On the same night that Gordon Hayward was announced as an All-Star reserve, the Jazz forward looked very much the part as he finished with 24 points on a solid 7-of-14 shooting night from the field.
CONGRATULATIONS to @GordonHayward for being selected to the @NBAAllStar team for the first time! ????????#TakeNote pic.twitter.com/9CbWLASCNV
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) January 27, 2017
Meanwhile, Utah’s Rudy Gobert looked every bit the All-Star snub, as despite not being included among the 2017 All-Stars, he came out with a chip on his shoulder and something to prove, finishing the night with six blocks and 13 rebounds despite posting just a quiet nine points.
More than anything, it was good to see the Jazz put together a game with good offensive and defensive flow and while they allowed the Lakers to hang around, they did an admirable job of finishing them off.
Nevertheless, Utah will have to shore up in several areas if they hope to come away with a win on Saturday against a daunting Memphis team that has defeated the Jazz two out of three times so far this season.
Rodney Hood, who returned to action against LA last night after missing five games, was noticeably and expectedly rusty, but the Jazz will need him to return to his hot shooting ways if they hope to overcome the Grizzlies in tomorrow’s contest.
Even more so, however, the Jazz desperately need George Hill to break out of his slump. He put up yet another miserable shooting performance against the Lakers finishing with just 12 points on 4-of-14 shooting from the field and 1-of-5 from deep. His struggles are causing his shooting percentages to drop quickly as his field goal percentage is now at 47.4 percent and behind the arc he’s at 40.7 percent.
These are still great percentages over the course of a season, but they’ve have dropped nearly 10 percentage points since his pre-concussion play. While it’s not necessarily realistic for him to keep that original rate up through 82 games, he certainly can be more proficient than he’s been over the last seven games or so.
With the Clippers missing Chris Paul and the Thunder now dealing with an injury to Enes Kanter after he broke his arm hitting a chair last night (no, I’m not joking, see below) both the Jazz and Grizzlies could be poised to make a move up the standings. Therefore, it’s quite possible that the two could not only be lobbying for playoff position but could potentially also face one another in the first round as the fourth and fifth seeds.
Enes Kanter punched this chair…and now has a fractured forearm because of it. Genius.
(Video via @UpTheThunder)pic.twitter.com/2ys7ErmWpb
— Someone's An Idiot (@SomeonesAnIdiot) January 27, 2017
Therefore, it is critical that the Jazz knot up the season series by earning a victory tomorrow night. Memphis is never an easy team to stop, but if Hood and Hill can show vast improvement and Utah is able to come out on top in the following key areas, they should have a great shot at winning the game.
Dec 18, 2016; Memphis, TN, USA; Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (33) shoots against Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) and Utah Jazz forward Derrick Favors (15) during the second half at FedExForum. the Utah Jazz defeat the Memphis Grizzlies 82-73. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
Key Match-up: Rudy Gobert and Marc Gasol
The match-up between these two centers has directly determined the outcome of each of the three games these two teams have played against one another this season. In Utah’s lone win, Rudy Gobert was phenomenal, scoring 21 points and grabbing 12 boards while holding Memphis’ Marc Gasol to a meager eight points on 4-of-22 shooting.
However, Gasol has had his way in the other two contests given that in the first victory he notched 22 points to Gobert’s six and in the most recent win put up 17 points to Gobert’s five.
Marc Gasol is one of the best scoring big men in the league, so while it would be nice to see Gobert outscore him 21-8 like he did in the second meeting this season, that doesn’t necessarily have to happen for Rudy to win this match-up and give his team an important edge.
More than anything, it’s vital that he frustrate Gasol defensively and limit him to an inefficient shooting night. Gobert’s scoring numbers haven’t been great in the last three games, but as long as he holds up defensively against Gasol, then the Jazz should be in great shape.
This match-up should also have a little extra intrigue this time around given that Marc Gasol was just selected to the All-Star game while Gobert was left out of the mix. As he looks to prove himself worthy of All-Star consideration for this and future seasons, I expect the Stifle Tower to come out with a chip on his shoulder and anxious to display some dominance over one of the game’s top big men.
Rudy mad. pic.twitter.com/JzHcTUKg5Q
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 27, 2017
If he’s able to put up a performance at all similar to what he did in Utah’s previous victory over the Grizzlies, then he will make his statement loud and clear.
Jan 26, 2017; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz guard George Hill (3) looks to drive to the basket against Los Angeles Lakers guard Jose Calderon (5) in the third quarter at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The Utah Jazz won 96-88. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
Key Stat – Assists
The last time the Jazz and Grizzlies faced off, not only was Utah held to just 38.9 percent shooting from the field, but they allowed a slow, plodding Memphis team to thoroughly outmatch them in the assist category as the Grizzlies logged 19 compared to Utah’s 14. And while those 19 assists were just under Memphis’ season average, it still helped them to gain a critical advantage.
Given the fact that Memphis is not generally a high-assist team compared to the rest of the league, it was discouraging to see them get so much offensive momentum which ultimately allowed them to overwhelm what is a normally staunch Jazz defense by shooting well over their season averages both from the field and from behind the arc.
The Jazz meanwhile, clearly could not get any offensive flow going as evidenced by their low assist number which was about five fewer than their season average. And while the Jazz rank even lower than the Grizzlies in terms of assists per game, they’re certainly more capable at moving the ball than what they showed in that game in Memphis.
Therefore, if Utah hopes to beat the slow-paced, grind-it-out Grizzlies, it will be critical that they get into an efficient and flowing offense that utilizes great ball movement and results in several assists.
Jan 26, 2017; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz forward Derrick Favors (15) shoots over Los Angeles Lakers center Ivica Zubac (40) in the third quarter at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The Utah Jazz won 96-88. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
Key Performer – Derrick Favors
It’s been a bit of a rough season for Derrick Favors as he still seems to be struggling to work his way fully back from his previous injuries. He was ineffective the last time the Jazz and Grizzlies played and struggled to make an impact last night against the Lakers.
However, he was solid last Tuesday against the Nuggets as he logged a season-high 18 points. In that contest, he displayed several flashes of the former Favors that Jazz fans had grown accustomed to, including a strong 7-of-7 performance in the third quarter.
Derrick Favors had a season-high 18 points (8/11 fg) tonight in Denver. ????#UTAatDEN pic.twitter.com/TWYamdVCvu
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) January 25, 2017
Favors’ mid-range game has been largely absent this season, but if he can find his rhythm in that area for Saturday’s game against Memphis, he could provide a key offensive lift and be the X-Factor for the Jazz that helps them come away with a more favorable outcome than last time these two teams met.
Yet especially with Gobert having his hands full with Gasol, Favors will have his work cut out for him. He’ll be matched up against an up-and-coming JaMychal Green as well as veteran Zach Randolph who has thrived coming off the bench for the Grizzlies.
Nevertheless, even if Favors continues to struggle on offense, I expect his defense to be on point as it has been for most of the season. And if he’s able to help Gobert to contain Memphis’ formidable bigs in the paint, it will take away a key strength from the Grizzlies and likely lead to a Jazz win.
Jan 26, 2017; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz forward Joe Ingles (2) celebrate with the rest of his team after taking the lead in the third quarter at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The Utah Jazz won 96-88. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
Prediction – Jazz 86, Grizzlies 81
Given that the Jazz lost two games in a row earlier in the week and were less than dominant in their win over the Lakers, I’m feeling a little bit nervous about this pick. As I pointed out earlier in the week, the Jazz are just 6-12 against teams with a record above .500 and the Grizzlies are one of those teams that is never an easy out.
Nevertheless, this game has all the feel of potentially being a bounce-back statement game with Hood, Burks and Favors all getting closer to recovering and Hill due for a comeback game, so I’ll stick with my prediction from earlier in the week and pin the Jazz as five-point winners in a low-scoring, grind-it-out affair.
The Grizzlies are coming into the game on the second night of a back-to-back (much like the Jazz were in Memphis the last time these two teams met), so that should help as well as a defensive juggernaut such as this Utah squad is a daunting foe to have to face on tired legs.
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The Jazz haven’t defeated a Western Conference playoff team since their last win over the Grizzlies back on December 18th, so it’s critical that they get back to their winning ways with a victory in this one.
It truly feels like several Jazz players have been largely failing to play up to their potential in recent bouts, so if things can fall in place and a few issues can be righted, Utah should very well be able to come away with a win against a fatigued Memphis team.
All stats courtesy of NBA.com
