Utah Jazz vs. Milwaukee Bucks: Keys to the Game

Key Match-up – Gordon Hayward and Giannis Antetokounmpo

This duel between two first-time All-Stars will very likely be the most thrilling and most important of the night. Antetokounmpo is proving night in and night out that he is an absolute star in this league and his ability to seemingly do it all makes him a tough cover for even the NBA’s elite.

He’s averaging 23.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists, two blocks and nearly two steals per game, all of which are career-highs. He’s also doing so while shooting an impeccable 52.7 percent from the field. The Greek Freak’s versatility allows him to play multiple positions and score in a seemingly endless number of ways.

Thus, while the Jazz will likely share the workload of covering such a prolific player, there’s no questioning that Gordon Hayward will principally be the one who has his hands full on both ends of the court. While Hayward is an underrated defender, he’ll likely have a hard time containing Giannis even if he’s at his very best.

Therefore, it will be vital that Hayward keeps pace with the Eastern Conference All-Star offensively and has a big scoring night himself to balance out what Antetokounmpo will likely be able to do.

Averaging a staunch 21.6 points himself while being a much better three-point shooter than Antetokounmpo, it’s certainly possible for Hayward to outscore the Bucks’ lead man. And for the Jazz to come away with a victory, it’s very likely that against a dangerous and feisty Milwaukee squad, he’ll have to do just that.