Joe Ingles will have the unenviable task of matching blows with Kevin Durant when the Utah Jazz host the Golden State Warriors.
We’re down to the wire now and the Utah Jazz control their own destiny. With just two games remaining in the 2017-18 NBA regular season, Utah’s mission is simple: win out and guarantee home-court advantage in the first round.
That task continues on Tuesday with the Jazz playing host to the Golden State Warriors. Believe it or not, coming away with the win could be largely dependent on the play of Joe Ingles.
Sure, Rudy Gobert needs to control the paint and Donovan Mitchell must continue to lead the way offensively. But Ingles’ ability to slow down Kevin Durant and counteract at least some of KD’s production on the other end could be the X-factor.
When the two went head-to-head in January, Slow-Mo’ Joe was able to do just that. The Aussie boomed to the tune of 20 points and 6-of-8 from 3-point range that night.
Defensively, it took the team to slow KD down and he finished with just 17 points on 5-of-13 shooting. However, Ingles was the defender on three of those misses and worked to deny KD the ball throughout the game.
A similar effort would be well-served in this game. Durant is just three days removed from dropping 41 points on the New Orleans Pelicans. Since he returned from injury last month, he’s been a shark in the waters. Over the last six games, he’s averaged 29 points, eight boards and six assists per game.
With Stephen Curry out, he’ll be the straw that stirs the Warriors’ drink. As long as he’s on the court, that is.
The one caveat to all of this is that Warriors coach Steve Kerr could look to get his key players some rest ahead of postseason play. In that case, we may not see Durant in the second half of the game. We do know that he’ll play; just how much remains to be seen.
At the least, Ingles would need to put his best foot forward in the early going.
We’ve seen teams throw in the towel before and still give the Jazz problems. Such was the case against the Dallas Mavericks last month. The Jazz hung on for a 119-112 win, but it was a dogfight down the stretch. With a G-League crew on the floor, the Mavs outscored the Jazz by eight in the final carom.
In any event, Ingles’ play will be key to the win regardless of who’s in the game. Since January 20, he’s averaging 14.5 points, 5.5 assists and for rebounds per game. He’s also hit on nearly 50 percent of his shots from the field and 46 percent from distance.
Next: Examining a Jazz-OKC matchup in Round 1
Those efforts have been one of the underrated factors in the Jazz’s second-half success and should continue to be so during the team’s quest for homecourt.