Key Match-up – Jazz Point Guards and Damian Lillard
I hate to be ambiguous in regards to the players involved with the key match-up, but with George Hill having missed the past three games and his status still up in the air for tomorrow, it’s unclear who the Jazz will have starting at the point.
Dante Exum has been the starter in Hill’s absence and has put up solid performances in his last two games. However, it’s Shelvin Mack who has been truly impressive. After falling out of the rotation, then suffering a sprained ankle, Mack has bounced back in a huge way as he’s gone for 14, 15 and 13 points in Utah’s last three contests.
Between injuries and inconsistent play, Utah’s point guard position has been a bit of a mystery at times this season, but the fact of the matter is that one of them will have to step up to contain Portland’s Damian Lillard. Perhaps Hill will be back in action, maybe Exum will have a breakout game or possibly Shelvin Mack will continue his solid play. It honestly doesn’t matter which scenario ends up being the case as long as someone is able to keep Lillard in check.
@trailblazers: Great to see Terry Stotts (Coach of the Month) & @Dame_Lillard (Player of the Month) recognized by @NBA. Keys to our success! pic.twitter.com/Gph6ariear
— Paul Allen (@PaulGAllen) April 3, 2017
Lillard has responded to his All-Star snub with a chip on his shoulder and has been absolutely phenomenal for his Blazers team in the latter part of the season. In the month of March, he averaged 29.1 points per game on 48.3 percent shooting from the field and 41.7 percent from three. He put up eight games of 30 points or more during that stretch including an incredible 49-point explosion against Miami on March 19th.
Thus there’s no doubt that Utah’s point guard corp is going to have its hands full as whichever guys are available try to slow down a red hot Damian Lillard. Fortunately, the Blazers star isn’t exactly known for his defense, so hopefully Hill, Mack, and/or Exum (depending on who’s matched up against him the most) are able to have mammoth offensive games of their own.
It’s unlikely that any of those guys will be able to put up more total points than a prolific scorer like Lillard, but if Utah’s active point guards can at least step up offensively and take enough advantage of Damian’s lackluster D to help minimize his scoring impact, then the Jazz should be able to put themselves in a great position to win the game.