The Phoenix Suns have given the Utah Jazz problems already this season and will likely put up a strong fight in the lone game of the series on their home court.
As I mentioned in my week preview piece from earlier today, the Utah Jazz are quite familiar with the Phoenix Suns as the teams have faced off twice already this season and have seen each other recently with both contests occurring last month. Each bout was closely contested but the Jazz found a way to squeeze out a victory each time to take a 2-0 series lead.
Tonight, however, they will take on the Suns for the first time this season within Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. Although Phoenix boasts just a 13-27 record, the worst mark in the Western Conference, they have played considerably better at home where they post an 8-11 record, and are coming off a huge win over the San Antonio Spurs in Mexico City on Saturday.
Plus they have to be a little upset about the Jazz already narrowly defeating them on two separate occasions, so I expect the Suns to come out with quite a bit of fire tonight (no pun intended). With that being said, this is a game that the Jazz can’t overlook if they hope to come away with a fourth straight victory.
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Unfortunately, they’ll be without Rodney Hood who suffered a hyperextended knee in Saturday’s win over Orlando, so they’ll have some major adjustments to make with him sidelined as Hood has been a critical part of Utah’s offensive success.
However, Hood did in reality struggle in both contests against the Suns, so hopefully Utah can utilize the likes of Alec Burks, Joe Ingles and Joe Johnson to quickly fill the void left by Hood’s absence. They’ll certainly have to do so if they hope to win as well as take care of business in the following key areas.