Utah Jazz at New Orleans Pelicans: Keys to the Game

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Feb 10, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) drives past Utah Jazz forward Derrick Favors (15) during the first quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /

Key Match-up – Derrick Favors and Anthony Davis

Although Derrick Favors has struggled up to this point this season, he was absolutely phenomenal in Monday’s win over Atlanta. In the big man’s return home, he posted 20 points and 10 rebounds in a game where he finally looked like the Favors of old.

If this is the Favors the Jazz can start to expect night in and night out, it will mean big trouble for the rest of the Western Conference.

Yet the real question will be whether the game against the Hawks was an anomaly for Favors or if it will become the new norm. He will have a superb chance to prove himself once again given that for the second time in a row, the opposing team’s best player is their power forward. However, while Atlanta’s Millsap is a solid player, New Orleans’ Anthony Davis is a completely different animal.

https://twitter.com/utahjazz/status/828794029269659649

But in reality, Favors has actually matched up extremely well against Davis in the past. In the three contests against New Orleans in which Derrick played last year, he outscored AD in two of the three.

In the one where Davis logged more points, he finished with 29 points but on a dismal 11-of-31 shooting while Favors had 28 points, just one point less, while converting at a much better 11-of-19 clip. (On a side note, I really miss those high 20-point games from Favors – hopefully they become more common here soon).

Not surprisingly, the Pelicans’ biggest win over the Jazz last season came in the lone match-up in which Favors was sidelined. Davis went off for 36 points in the contest after averaging just 21.6 in the previous three in which Favors was guarding him. 21.6 is of course solid, but nothing compared to what AD is capable of putting up against lesser opponents.

Therefore, it will be critical for the Favors of old to continue his resurgence tomorrow night and outmatch Anthony Davis on both ends of the floor. His doing so was the key in securing two victories over New Orleans last season and it’s extremely likely that such will be the case once again in Wednesday’s bout.

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