3/28 Utah vs. Boston
7:30 pm MT – ESPN
Opponent record: 51-23
Season series: Jazz lead 1-0
Although this contest won’t be quite as exciting as originally presumed heading into the 2017-18 season due to the season-ending injury that Gordon Hayward suffered in the season opener, this is still a big one for the Jazz. With or without Hayward suiting up for the opposition, his former teammates are certainly going to want to prove that they’re capable of toppling the team that he spurned them to join.
The Jazz were able to do just that in the previous meeting as they defeated the C’s in surprising fashion by a score of 107-95 in Boston during what had otherwise been a discouraging month of December. Ricky Rubio had a big game that allowed he and his teammates to overcome a 33-point outpouring from Kyrie Irving to earn an incredible win over a healthy (with the exception of Hayward, of course) Boston team.
Utah was able to come out on top thanks largely to their scorching accuracy which saw them go 40-of-83 (48.2 percent) from the field and an even more impressive 13-of-25 (52 percent) from deep. The Jazz also killed the Celtics on the boards by a count of 55-31.
Hypothetically, the Jazz should have an easier time toppling the Celtics in Wednesday’s showdown, not only because it will be played within the friendly confines of Vivint Smart Home Arena, but also because the Celtics continue to deal with injuries to Kyrie Irving (knee), Marcus Smart (thumb) and Daniel Thies (knee), not to mention Hayward who has of course been out the entire season.
This Just In: Kyrie Irving is expected to miss three to six weeks after undergoing surgery Saturday on his injured left knee. pic.twitter.com/mNCgYF3IBk
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 24, 2018
Nevertheless, even with their injury woes, which have included a number of other players who have only recently returned to the lineup, the Celtics have still played exceptionally well of late. They’ve won four straight which have included victories over the Portland Trail Blazers and Oklahoma City Thunder. Guys like Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Terry Rozier and of course All-Star Al Horford have all stepped up in big ways to help their team continue to succeed.
Therefore, the Jazz will have to bring their A-game and play at an absolutely high level if they are to win. This game could very well be a battle and is by no stretch of the imagination going to be an easy win for the Jazz even with Kyrie Irving out of commission. If they play lackluster ball as they did in their last home bout against Atlanta, there’s no question that they will fall short.
Fortunately, I don’t see that happening. The Jazz looked refocused in their wins over Golden State and Dallas, and truly played well against San Antonio as well despite the outcome. Along with fighting for playoff positioning, the Jazz have extra incentive to win this game as they continue to have a chip on their shoulder in regards to the Celtics stealing away their former All-Star teammate.
Add all that up and I think we’ll see a focused and determined Jazz squad that will be able to overcome a far less than healthy Celtics team.
My Prediction: Jazz Win
Final Score: Utah 103, Boston 101