The Utah Jazz begin a four-game Eastern Conference road trip tonight as they take on the Detroit Pistons in what should be a very winnable game.
The Utah Jazz have to be riding high after the incredible win they posted on Monday night over the Los Angeles Clippers. However, with a daunting Eastern Conference road trip looming just ahead, they’ll need to stay disciplined to avoid falling victim to a deflating letdown.
Fortunately, they’ll start out the trip on Wednesday night against a Detroit Pistons team that they were able to handle quite easily the last time the two squads met. In a nationally televised bout on ESPN the Jazz put up one of their most impressive performances of the season on both ends of the floor as they defeated the Pistons 110-77.
While it may be hard for the Jazz to replicate their red-hot shooting performance from that game (especially on Detroit’s home court) which saw them convert at a rate of 53.8 percent from the field and 51.6 percent from deep, this is still match-up that Utah should be able to take advantage of.
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
When looking up and down Detroit’s roster, while they have a few guys who stand out as threats, none of them has a decided advantage over Utah’s starters. And in terms of bench players, the Jazz have the Pistons thoroughly outmatched.
Nevertheless, given that the Jazz are coming off one of their most important and emotional wins of the season and will now be heading directly into a tough four-game road trip, in some ways tonight’s contest against Detroit has a bit of the feel of a trap game.
Not to mention, aside from last night’s blowout loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Pistons have been playing very well of late, having won four of their previous five games, one of which actually came over the Cavs just a few days before.
Thus, the factor that will most likely determine Utah’s fate will be whether or not they come into this game with focus and energy. Despite it being a road contest against a team that has moved its way into seventh place in the Eastern Conference, this is a game that the Jazz should win.
And as long as they come in honed in with a particular emphasis on the following key areas, then they should have an exceptional shot of doing just that.