Utah Jazz vs. New Orleans Pelicans: Keys to the Game

Key Match-up – Rudy Gobert and Anthony Davis

One of the more appealing benefits of adding DeMarcus Cousins to the mix for the Pelicans (aside from the obvious one that he’s an elite talent) was that by doing so, New Orleans would finally have a true and dominant center which would allow them to slide Anthony Davis to his more comfortable power forward position. Therefore, under normal circumstances, Rudy Gobert would go up against Cousins while Jazz power forward Derrick Favors would mark Davis.

However, with Favors set to be sidelined for the contest and Cousins listed as questionable, the dynamic is bound to change slightly. Davis will more than likely slide to center if Cousins doesn’t play, but even if he is available, Gobert’s ability to slow AD will still make for the game’s key match-up.

As good as Davis is, he’s a guy that Favors has actually done exceptionally well against over the course of the last few seasons, so it’s a shame that Derrick won’t be available to hold him in check this time around. Without him, Gobert will have to step up in a big way.

Fortunately, in Utah’s first meeting against the Pelicans which took place before the Cousins trade and while Davis was still slotted as the starting center, Rudy was able to do just that. In a game that saw Utah run away to an incredible 127-94 victory, Gobert helped hold Davis to just a 12-point night on 4-of-12 shooting. Given that AD averages 27.8 points per game on 50.6 percent shooting from the field, slowing him to that degree was an impressive feat.

And considering the dangerous frontcourt tandem that the Pelicans will be able to roll out if Cousins is healthy, Gobert and the Jazz will likely have to slow Davis to that same degree if they hope to win.

Given that DeMarcus’ status is still in question, the Jazz are in for a bit of an interesting dilemma. On the one hand, if Cousins plays, it’s hard to see who Utah can put alongside Gobert to stop Cousins and Davis since Favors is sidelined.

However, as I mentioned before, the Pelicans for one reason or another have actually played better without Cousins, going 3-0 in games where he’s sidelined, so there’s an argument to be had that New Orleans would be better off without him.

Nevertheless, regardless of whether he plays or not, Utah’s fate will likely still rest in the capable hands of Rudy Gobert. New Orleans’ biggest threats are its big men, so it will be up to Gobert to stop Anthony Davis and Co. dead in their tracks and therefore give Utah their best chance at a victory.