Utah Jazz vs. Washington Wizards: Keys to the Game
Key Match-up – Rodney Hood and Bradley Beal
Prior to the previous contest between these two teams, I pinned George Hill and prolific All-Star John Wall as the key match-up. The two battled hard and were very much evenly matched as Hill finished with 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting while Wall logged 23 points on 9-of-18 shooting. Hill got the last laugh, though, as his team pulled away with the solid win.
The Jazz will certainly have to make it a point of emphasis to contain Wall as he has been on a tear of late, putting up no fewer than 34 points in each of his last three outings, including 41 last night against the Clippers. However, given that George Hill didn’t play against Sacramento leaving his status for tomorrow’s contest somewhat in the air, I’m going to focus on the other guard match-up between Rodney Hood and Bradley Beal.
As good as John Wall is, Bradley Beal has been a phenomenal running mate for him. He’s averaging a solid 23.1 points per game and played well against the Jazz the last time around, putting up 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting. He thoroughly outmatched Utah’s Rodney Hood who finished with just 11 points on a forgettable 2-of-7 shooting performance.
Hood has been inconsistent all season long, but has also been hindered by injuries. Fortunately, he has indicated that his legs have felt better of late and it’s certainly been reflected in his play. Since being one of the players that many thought Gobert was referring to in his recent outburst following the game against the Clippers, Rodney has been on fire.
Rodney Hood's looked a lot more like Rodney Hood in the last two games. let's see if that trend continues
— Eric Walden (@tribjazz) March 30, 2017
He went for 20 points on 7-of-16 shooting and four made threes against the Pelicans then followed that up with an 18-point outing on 6-of-8 shooting that included a perfect 5-of-5 from deep against the Kings. Rodney Hood has by and large been the missing link in Utah’s offense in games where he’s been injured or struggling, so his ability to rediscover that consistency will be key to a victory tonight and in the ensuing games to close out the season.