Prediction – Jazz 96, Hawks 91
Although the Jazz won in blowout fashion against the Hawks earlier in the season, I don’t quite expect a repeat of that performance. Atlanta was in the middle of a tough five-game road trip and was in a bit of a slump at the time but they’ve definitely turned things around since then.
Plus Atlanta has a lot to play for as a top-4 seed in the East is well within reach and they’ll have the advantage of playing on their home court in tonight’s contest.
But in all honesty, the Hawks aren’t that much better of a team at home as they’re just 15-10 inside Philips Arena as compared to 15-11 on the road. So while I certainly expect a closer contest than last time, just as I predicted in this morning’s week outlook piece, I still expect Utah to come away with a 96-91 win over Atlanta.
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Utah’s last extended road trip was far from kind to them and while this one is just a three-game stint rather than five, they will need to get off to a good start tonight by beating Atlanta who boasts the best record of the three teams they’ll play on the road.
And considering how well the Jazz played against them the last time around and the many favorable match-ups that they enjoy across Atlanta’s roster, I fully expect them to be able to do just that.
All stats courtesy of NBA.com