Utah Jazz at Portland Trail Blazers key match-up: Donovan vs. Dame

The winner of tonight’s contest between the Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers will likely be determined by the match-up between Donovan Mitchell and Damian Lillard.

The Utah Jazz have been red hot of late as they’ve managed to win eight straight contests, many of them in exhilarating fashion. And although three of those came against the daunting likes of the Toronto Raptors, Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs, the Jazz may very well be in for one of their toughest contests of the stretch tonight as they visit the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Blazers have won nine straight games at home within the tough environment that is the Moda Center, where the Jazz haven’t won a game since the 2014-15 season. During Portland’s nine-game streak there, they’ve defeated the likes of the San Antonio Spurs, Indiana Pacers and Minnesota Timberwolves.

In other words, two impressive streaks are about to be put on the line and something will have to give. With how poorly the Jazz have played in Portland of late, they’ll need an epic road performance much like the one they had recently in Toronto, and they’ll need one or more players to step up big time.

In fact, with Ricky Rubio questionable for the contest, the match-up that will very likely determine the outcome of the game will be that of Jazz rookie sensation Donovan Mitchell and Blazers All-Star Damian Lillard.

It’s interesting to pin this pair as the match-up to watch as several people have drawn comparisons between the two as having similar games and Mitchell having the potential to become a star much like Lillard. Mitchell and Lillard also have a close relationship and Damian formerly referred to Donovan as his favorite rookie.

Beyond that, they’re both their respective teams’ leading scorers – Lillard at 25.5 points per game and Mitchell at 19.2. Their efficiency from the field is nearly identical, but Lillard has an edge from deep at 37.3 percent compared to Mitchell’s 35.3.

Lillard is coming off of a 50-point outpouring against the Sacramento Kings, which he accomplished playing only through three quarters. If he carries that hot shooting into tonight’s game against Utah, the Jazz could be in big trouble. Mitchell, on the other hand, had a couple of poor outings recently of two and nine points after dealing with the flu, but bounced back strong against the Charlotte Hornets by dropping 25 points, albeit on less than reassuring efficiency.

Mitchell will need to fully have his hot hand back tonight if he is to lead the Jazz to victory, especially if Rubio, who’s been sensational of late, is indeed unable to go. In Utah’s previous overtime win over the Blazers, Mitchell was electrifying as he put up 28 points on solid shooting splits.

Lillard, meanwhile, has feasted on the Jazz throughout his career. Last time they matched up, he dropped 33 points on 12-of-27 shooting from the field (though he was held to just 4-of-15 from deep). In Portland’s two wins in Moda Center last year, Dame went off for 39 and a stunning 59 points, respectively.

Utah has seldom had an answer when they’ve matched up against Lillard, especially on the road, but if they are to extend their win streak to nine, they’ll have to reverse that trend tonight.

Next: Utah Jazz vs Portland: Can the Jazz make it nine in a row?

A win in this evening’s contest not only would extend Utah’s win streak, but it would put them just 1.5 games back of eighth place in the West and return their record back solidly to .500. Add in the fact that the current fifth place Blazers are just 3.5 games ahead of the Jazz in the standings and it’s quite clear that this is a game that could have major implications.

These two squads with significant streaks on the line will take the court against one another in what could be an epic bout with a playoff atmosphere at 7:00 PM MT tonight.