Utah Jazz at Indiana Pacers: Keys to the Game

Key Stat – Rebounds

One of the major problems for the Indiana Pacers all season long has been their inconsistency on the boards. Largely considered an issue of hustle and energy, the fact that an Indiana team that often looks sluggish and unengaged anyway also struggles to rebound the ball is certainly not a good sign for them.

Indiana is 26th in the league at 41.8 rebounds per game as well as 28th in offensive rebounds at just 8.6. Both of these figures are significantly lower than Utah’s even though Indiana plays at a pace about five possessions per game faster than the Jazz.

Furthermore, while the Jazz are near the top of the league in rebounding differential (4th), grabbing an average of 2.9 more rebounds per game then their opponents, the Pacers are at the opposite end of the spectrum (26th) as they allow their opponents to grab 2.7 more rebounds than them per contest.

Utah was able to do even better than that in the previous meeting against the Pacers as they finished with 42 rebounds to Indiana’s 36. At the season’s start, the Pacers claimed they were going to emphasize becoming a team that got out and ran, but given the fact that they’ve been such poor rebounders this season, that plan has been greatly stinted.

Therefore, if the Jazz are able to once again control the boards and take advantage of what has been a significant weakness for Indiana, they have a great chance of controlling the overall flow and pace of the game and therefore coming away with a regular season sweep over the Pacers.