Utah Jazz News: Atlanta Hawks in Town, Trevor Booker’s Cereal Test

Utah Jazz news and notes on Tuesday’s home game against the Atlanta Hawks, Trevor Booker’s National Cereal Day test and a Jazzman’s birthday.

There’s nothing in the world like home cooking; this is something the Utah Jazz can attest to after going 1-3 on their recent four-game road trip. However, despite a return to the Viv this week, the Jazz could still have a hard time putting together wins.

Former Jazzman Paul Millsap and Jeff Teague lead an Atlanta Hawks team that has won four of its last five games into Salt Lake City on Tuesday night. The very next day, a showdown with the Golden State Warriors in Oakland looms before the Jazz return home to face a Washington Wizards squad that beat the Jazz by 14 last month.

The road to the NBA playoffs is not an easy one.

Tuesday’s game will feature of a reunion between Jazz point-man Shelvin Mack and the team that dealt him for little more than a future second-round pick. However, Mack brushed off the notion that the Hawks game is anything but the next one on the schedule after practice on Monday.

From The Salt Lake Tribune—

"“Yeah, it’s just another game. It’s not like I left Atlanta on bad terms or anything. I understand the situation. I still talk to those guys a lot. I talk to Coach Bud. It wasn’t a bad situation leaving there.”"

Whether or not Mack’s comments ring true is subject to debate, but one can only hope that he plays as if it’s more than “just another game.” In his last three contests, Mack is averaging just eight points per game on 32 percent from the field and just under 29 percent from three-point range.

The former Hawk will need to have a better performance in order to hang with Teague and Dennis Schroder. The almost, would-be Jazzman Teague didn’t play the last time the two teams mixed it up, a 97-96 Jazz win at Philips Arena in November. This time around, he’ll inevitably make life hard for the Utah backcourt.

With a better offensive effort from Mack and strong performances from Derrick Favors and Gordon Hayward, who combined for 52 points and 16 rebounds in Saturday’s win over the New Orleans Pelicans, the Jazz have a nice shot at a win against Atlanta.

Still, even in the cozy confines of Vivint Smart Home Arena, nothing is a given; the Jazz dropped their last home game to the 18-45 Brooklyn Nets. If the Jazz want to escape with a win and keep pace in the Western Conference playoff race, they’re going to have to fight for it against the Hawks.

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Jazz Test Booker’s Breakfast Knowledge on National Cereal Day

So Monday was National Cereal Day and while I forgot my celebratory bowl of Special K, the Jazz made sure to get the team’s resident cereal aficionado, Trevor Booker, in on the festivities. Hayley Byrnes tracked Booker down at the Zions Bank Basketball Center and ran him through a blind taste test of popular breakfast brands.

As he does every night on the hardwood, Booker made sure to bring it on National Cereal Day–

In fairness, any cereal eater worth their salt could probably pick most of those out, blindfold and all. Where Booker shines, however, is in his ability to pick out the individual cereals in that crazy, three-headed beast Byrnes and crew made him eat.

The Good Book knows his stuff.

Next: 10 Reasons Why the Utah Jazz WON'T Make the Playoffs

Happy Birthday, Mr. Withey

Finally, Monday marked the birthday of everyone’s favorite seven-footer not named Rudy Gobert, the enigmatic Jeff Withey. The shot blocker extraordinaire is now 26 years old.

Somewhere out there, Karthik Narayanan is lighting a candle for you, big guy.