3/15 Utah at Detroit
5:30 pm MT – Root Sports/League Pass
Opponent record: 33-33
Season series: Jazz lead 1-0
One of the Jazz’s most lopsided victories of the season came on January 13th in a nationally televised ESPN game against the Detroit Pistons as Utah rolled to a 110-77 victory.
Everything seemed to go right for the Jazz on both ends of the floor as they held Detroit below 80 points on just 39.5 percent shooting while lighting the nets on fire on their end of the court by shooting 53.8 percent from the field and 51.6 percent from deep.
JAZZ WIN!!!!!
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) January 14, 2017
Led by Rodney Hood's 27 points (7/8 3pt) - we outscored DET 65-34 in the 2nd half.#TakeNote #DETatUTA pic.twitter.com/ZXN5Fw7xpT
However, it’s pretty unlikely that the Jazz will be able to repeat another performance as overwhelming as that, especially considering that the Pistons have been on a roll lately. They’ve won four of their last five and seven of their last 10 to finally put them dead even at a .500 record and solidly at seventh place in the East, just one game behind the sixth place Indiana Pacers.
Nevertheless, while the Pistons are certainly starting to jive at the right time, part of the reason why Utah was able to put them away so easily last time around is because Detroit’s roster and style of play actually present a quite favorable match-up for the Jazz. Not to mention, Utah has been good on the road against Eastern Conference foes at 8-3 so far this season, so that bodes well for them, too.
Thus, with none of Detroit’s players having a significant individual advantage over any of their Jazz counterparts, while I’m not necessarily expecting another 33-point victory, I believe the Jazz will come away with a quite comfortable win against the Pistons in this second game of the week.
My Prediction: Jazz Win
Final Score: Utah 109, Detroit 96