Number 9? Number 9? Number 9?

Coming off of their first win against the Denver Nuggets and 8th win in-a-row overall, the Utah Jazz look to win their 9th straight game against the LA Clippers. The two teams have met once this season back in October, with the Jazz beating the Clippers 111-98 at ESA. Now it’s February, and a lot has changed since that first meeting. The result, though, shouldn’t be drastically different.

First off, Carlos Boozer should be pretty excited about this game, as he will be able to prove that he deserved to be an All-Star instead of Chris Kaman. (I have all the respect in the world for Kaman, and I do believe that he has been under-appreciated over the course of his career, but Carlos Boozer is a notch above). This will be Boozer’s second game back from a calf injury, and he should feel even better than he did against Denver, when he scored 19 points and gobbled up 13 rebounds. With the added motivation, I can see Boozer having similar numbers in this game with a slight increase in points.

Next there is Andrei Kirilenko, who is playing amazing basketball during the Jazz’s recent run. He has shown the ability to score 20+ points, while also contributing on the boards and on the defensive end. The energy that he infuses this team with is unmatched by any other player, and he is a guy that the Jazz need to remain healthy if they want to continue their winning ways. Tonight, AK will again need to provide his services, as the Clippers have great talent on their roster. Although the Clips are only 21-29, they have the kind of team that can win any game because they have the players to compete with just about anybody. (They just seem to lack the chemistry required to be a better team). With that being said, AK will need to cause problems for LA on defense, so that one of their players doesn’t explode for a big game.

The last guy I want to mention is Deron Williams, who will have an interesting matchup with Baron Davis. Davis is not the player he once was, but he has shown flashes of brilliance this season. Because of that capability, D-Will is going to need to bring his A-Game in this one if he wants to win the point guard battle. Baron Davis is going to want to play his best against the ”league’s best point guard,” and he is going to ”bring it hard.” Oh, and before I forget, this matchup is going to be huge for fans because of the imaginary “beard war” that is going on between Williams and Davis. Who will fear the beard more? D-Will, or B-Dizzle?

Between Baron Davis, Eric Gordon, and Chris Kaman, the Clippers can put up a lot of points. In the first meeting this season, those 3 players combined for 64 of LA’s 98 points. If the Jazz overlook this game, and they look ahead to the Lakers on Wednesday night, they could be in big trouble, as the Clippers are capable of stealing this game. However, with a coach like Jerry Sloan, and the way that Utah has been playing recently, I strongly doubt that will happen. The Jazz have been playing too well to be let down against the Clippers, which is why I fully expect the Jazz to come away with a double-digit victory in this one.

LT’S NOTES

–  The Jazz are 9-12 on the road this season.

–  Kyle Korver has not played in the last 2 games.

– The Jazz are 92-58 against the Clippers all-time and have won the last 5 meetings.

– Paul Millsap had a game-high 23 points in their last meeting.

– Wesley Matthews and Steve Novak (Clippers) were teammates at Marquette.