The J-Notes
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Utah Jazz vs. Milwaukee Bucks: Keys to winning second straight

By Jared Woodcox

Milwaukee, WI - FEBRUARY 24: John Henson #31 of the Milwaukee Bucks shoots the ball against the Utah Jazz on February 24, 2017 at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images)
Milwaukee, WI - FEBRUARY 24: John Henson #31 of the Milwaukee Bucks shoots the ball against the Utah Jazz on February 24, 2017 at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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MILWAUKEE, WI – NOVEMBER 20: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks drives to the basket against Markieff Morris #5 of the Washington Wizards during the first half of a game at the Bradley Center on November 20, 2017 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI – NOVEMBER 20: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks drives to the basket against Markieff Morris #5 of the Washington Wizards during the first half of a game at the Bradley Center on November 20, 2017 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

Key #2 – Force turnovers

On the season, the Milwaukee Bucks have been one of the best teams at taking care of the ball as they are fourth in the league in turnovers, giving up a meager 14.2 per contest. This smart style of play has helped the Bucks to become 12th in the league in fast break points per game despite the fact that they play at the league’s 27th fastest pace, a spot slower than the reputedly methodical Utah Jazz themselves.

However, on the flip side, the Utah Jazz have been one of the best teams at takeaways as they are second in the league in steals per game at 9.8, second only to the Oklahoma City Thunder. This has led the Jazz to also putting up the second most points off turnovers per game as 17.7 points per night are coming off of opponent miscues. For a team that has struggled mightily on offense for the better part of the year, those easy points are absolutely critical for Utah to come by.

Therefore, they’ll need to find a way to assert their will and produce their typical number of takeaways even against a controlled Milwaukee team that doesn’t tend to turn the ball over all that often. That will require that the Jazz have active hands, clog the passing lines and suffocate the Bucks offense all night long.

If Utah is unable to get their typical number of points off turnovers, they may very well find themselves falling short to a Bucks team that averages nearly two more points per game than the Jazz.

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