When Utah walked off the court on Monday night at the Barclays Center, there were many ways to deduct what had just taken place.The Jazz suffered a loss to the Nets in a game they appeared a half-step slow in. While they kept it close early, Brooklyn pulled away with a dominant third quarter en route to the victory.
Two of the hottest teams in the Western Conference go head-to-head on Friday night in a matchup that neither wants to lose due to the upcoming postseason.Utah, winners of three straight, need the victory to keep pace with third-seeded Memphis and keep the distance between themselves and fifth-seeded Dallas for homecourt advantage in the opening round.
Ever since Utah has returned from the all-star break, the Jazz have looked like a team capable of making a deep playoff run. Victories over Dallas and Phoenix have only stoked those fires as Utah finally resembles the team many thought they would be entering the season. It's been proven that the Jazz can rise to the occasion and take down some of the top teams in the NBA. But
Make no mistake, the all-star break came at a perfect time for the Utah Jazz.It allowed the players to mentally reset, get away from the emotions of the past month and a half, and prepare for the rigors of the final six weeks of the regular season and beyond.But the break wasn't exactly perfect and how could it be after the devastating loss to Los Angeles two weeks ago. Up
He's back!After missing the past eight games while in concussion protocol, 2022 NBA all-star Donovan Mitchell makes his much-anticipated return to the starting lineup when Utah continues its six-game homestand against James Harden, Kyrie Irving, and the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. MST.