Utah Jazz at Atlanta Hawks: Keys to the Game

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Nov 25, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap (4) sits on the bench during a time out in the second half against the Utah Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The Jazz won 95-68. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports /

Key Stat – Rebounds

As I mentioned earlier and as you can see from the sad face of Paul Millsap above, the Jazz were absolutely dominant on the boards last time they played the Hawks, winning the battle 55-40. That was an impressive feat, especially considering that Atlanta ranks 10th in the league in rebounding at 44.2 per game and boasts two prolific rebounders in Millsap and Howard who average 8.0 and 13.0 rebounds per game, respectively.

So it will be tough for Utah to match their effort on the boards from the last time these two teams met where they pulled down 15 more rebounds than Atlanta, but they’ll need to come close to that if they hope to win.

Yet while Atlanta is considered a top-rebounding team, the Jazz actually lead them quite significantly in rebounding differential as Utah grabs an average of 2.1 more rebounds than their opponent per game while the Hawks outrebound opponents by just 0.4 boards per game.

Therefore, while the +15 differential might be a tough order to recreate, based on Utah’s performances all season, they should very well win the battle of the boards again tonight. And if they are able to do so, they’ll likely control the game just like last time and come away with yet another solid win over the Hawks.

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