Key Match-up – Gordon Hayward and Kawhi Leonard
While there are great match-ups across the board between each of these two teams, the key match-up is a no-brainer. The duel of All-Stars that features the up and coming first-time All-Star Gordon Hayward against superstar Kawhi Leonard who’s both an MVP and Defensive Player of the Year candidate, will more than likely determine the outcome of the game.
Strangely enough, Utah was able to topple the Spurs in their first meeting of the season even though Hayward was sidelined with an injured thumb. Nevertheless, it’s evident that this time around, they’ll need him to be firing on all cylinders.
Gordon’s looked a little bit off since suffering a minor leg injury against the Clippers, but he still played well against the Sacramento Kings and after struggling to find his shot early last night against the Wizards, got into a groove in the fourth quarter and helped shoulder the load for the Jazz to finish with 19 points.
Hopefully that strong finish to the game will leave him feeling confident for Sunday’s match-up and he’ll be able to take some of that momentum with him into San Antonio. He’ll certainly need it since he’ll have the daunting task of matching wits with Kawhi Leonard on both ends of the floor.
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Leonard has been an absolute monster this season as he’s averaging 25.9 points on 48.3 percent shooting from the field and 36.2 percent from deep all while being tasked night in and night out to defend opposing teams’ best player. The Spurs are trusting Leonard more and more as a clutch go-to guy down the stretch and he has transformed into not only the team’s leading scorer, but their most reliable offensive option.
But as impressive as he is on offense, it’s typically on defense where he really shines. He averages two steals per game and consistently shuts down whoever he’s matched up against. His incredible athleticism, length, lateral quickness and overall stopping ability have earned him two straight DPOY awards and he’s in the conversation for earning the recognition once again (though our very own Rudy Gobert may have something to say about that).
In other words, Utah’s success may very well hinge on how well they can keep Leonard in check and how much Gordon Hayward is able to overcome him and contribute himself. While the Spurs certainly have several other weapons that can hurt the Jazz, finding a way to limit Leonard would be an excellent way to begin to neutralize a stout Spurs team.