Utah Jazz at Chicago Bulls: Keys to the Game

Key Stat – Three-Point Percentage

Chicago has been a poor three-point shooting team all season long, but their recent woes have actually seen them drop to dead last in that category in the NBA at 32.3 percent.

One look at Chicago’s roster is enough to know that they aren’t a great three-point shooting team as not one player shoots 37 percent or better and Rajon Rondo, who’s reputed as being a poor threat from behind the arc, boasts the team’s second best three-point percentage (minimum of five games played).

Therefore, this poor shooting plays into Utah’s hands as Rudy Gobert will be less likely to get pulled out of the paint allowing him to do what he does best and protect the rim from any who would be so bold as to drive the lane while he’s there.

However, in Utah’s previous contest against the Bulls, although neither team shot it great from deep, it was in fact the Jazz who looked like the NBA’s worst three-point shooting team. Utah finished the game just 5-of-25 (.200) from deep compared to Chicago’s 5-of-17 (.294) outing which proved to be more than enough to seal the deal.

Recently the Jazz have struggled to contain the Oklahoma City Thunder, another poor three-point shooting team, from behind the arc, so if Utah hopes to win tonight, they’ll need to do a much better job of keeping a bad shooting team from getting into any sort of groove and thus turning their dismal three-point shooting into an advantage.

Utah had been shooting great from three in recent contests before going just 5-of-21 (.238) against Cleveland on Thursday, so hopefully that poor showing was due largely to fatigued legs from playing in the second game in as many nights and Utah will be able to get their deep ball mojo back for tonight’s road bout in Chicago.