Utah Jazz vs. Boston Celtics: Keys to the Game
Key Match-up – George Hill and Isaiah Thomas
Any Jazz fan can tell you that this Utah team is leaps and bounds better with George Hill on the floor. In fact, with him in action the Jazz are an impressive 22-7 (.759) this season, while without him they’re just 12-13.
After last night, I wanted to look at how the Jazz play depending on which starters are available. So here's that. https://t.co/IE8eonOnmH pic.twitter.com/DuniM5CHZh
— Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) February 10, 2017
If Utah could have maintained that win percentage with Hill in action over the course of the season, they would currently be in third place in the West, just a half-game behind the Spurs
He’s been the driving force of their offense as well as the calming and reliable presence during late game situations. His presence was without a doubt severely missed on Thursday as Quin Snyder was forced to close the game without a true point guard on the floor due to the absolute unreliability of Hill’s backups.
Therefore, his return to action tonight after resting with a sore toe should provide Utah with a critical lift, especially as he’ll be paired up against one of the most prolific offensive point guards in the NBA in Isaiah Thomas.
Despite his five-foot-nine stature, Thomas has proven in every way this season that he is without a doubt an All-Star. He’s averaging 29.9 points per game on 46.6 percent shooting from the field and 37.9 percent from deep and has been unbelievably clutch for the Celtics in the most critical of moments.
Happy Birthday to Isaiah Thomas aka "Mr. Fourth Quarter”#KingInThe4th pic.twitter.com/5mn2E673O5
— Bleacher Report NBA (@BR_NBA) February 8, 2017
Thus it will be up to George Hill to slow him down defensively and help take out the main cog in Boston’s offense. The Celtics do have several weapons around Thomas and he’s obviously a capable passer at 6.3 assists per game, but throwing Hill’s length at Thomas should be a great way to keep him in check.
Luckily, while Thomas is an incredible scorer, his lack of size does limit him somewhat on the defensive end, so the hope would be that Hill, despite averaging about 12 points per game less than Thomas, can rely heavily on his impeccable defense and thus keep pace with Isaiah in the points category.
If Hill can do that while frustrating Thomas on defense, forcing him into tough passes and an inefficient shooting night, the Jazz may very well get their revenge against an upstart Celtics team.