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Utah Jazz at Indiana Pacers: Keys to a fourth straight win

Jared Woodcox|
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - JANUARY 15: Domantas Sabonis #11 of the Indiana Pacers fights for the ball with Derrick Favors #15 of the Utah Jazz in the first half of their game at Vivint Smart Home Arena on January 15, 2018 in Salt Lake City, Utah. 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 Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - JANUARY 15: Domantas Sabonis #11 of the Indiana Pacers fights for the ball with Derrick Favors #15 of the Utah Jazz in the first half of their game at Vivint Smart Home Arena on January 15, 2018 in Salt Lake City, Utah. 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 Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images)
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Rudy Gobert Utah Jazz
SALT LAKE CITY, UT – FEBRUARY 9: Rudy Gobert #27 of the Utah Jazz reacts during game against the Charlotte Hornets on February 9, 2018 at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)

Key #1 – Reestablish pre-break road swagger

Prior to Utah’s impressive 11-game win streak leading up to the All-Star break, they had played absolutely abysmally on the road. Following an ugly loss to the Atlanta on January 22nd, the Jazz held a road record of just 5-19. Yikes.

But that loss seemingly lit a fire under the Jazz as they’ve since improved drastically on the road with those eight straight wins I mentioned earlier. Since the break, though, the Jazz as a whole haven’t looked quite as electrifying as they did prior. Turnovers and poor three-point shooting have been an issue for Utah even in their victories.

And while the Jazz won their lone road contest since the break to keep the streak alive, it came against the lowly Sacramento Kings. Meanwhile, in big games at home versus the Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers, Utah largely fell flat.

So how will they look in their first post-break road contest against a truly challenging opponent? That’s the million dollar question in my mind. The Jazz haven’t played enough road games since their hot streak to determine whether or not they’ve officially overcome their road woes, so Wednesday’s battle is going to be a big proving ground for them.

They’ll have to execute extremely well without a doubt, but I’ll be watching more to see what their energy and intensity look like in a tough bout away from Vivint Smart Home Arena. If the Jazz play with the same swagger they exhibited on the road during their impressive win streak, there’s a good chance that the execution will take care of itself and the Jazz will be able to outmatch a high-octane Indiana squad.

On the flip side, though, if Utah comes out flat-footed, as they often tended to on the road during the first half of the season, they’ll likely be run off the court by the Pacers just like they were in Salt Lake City.

It might sound cliche, but the mental aspect of Wednesday’s game is going to be absolutely critical. If the Jazz come out confident with a belief that they can perform the same way they have during their past eight road games, then I like their chances, even against a daunting Pacers team.

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