The Utah Jazz will look to bounce back against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday after suffering an ugly loss to them earlier in the season.
The Utah Jazz fell to the Memphis Grizzlies in the teams’ first meeting in one of the ugliest bouts of the year. Neither team could find their shot, which resulted in a painful, low-scoring affair that saw Memphis come out on top by a score of 92-84. While I think the Grizzlies will be better this season than many have been giving them credit for, it was still a game the Jazz should have won, especially on their home court and particularly considering how well their defense played.
Therefore, expect Utah to come out with a chip on their shoulder and something to prove on Friday as they aim to stick it to the Grizzlies and get revenge in round two of the regular season series. Aside from a disappointing loss in Minnesota on Wednesday night, the Utah Jazz have looked much better since that early loss to Memphis, so ideally they’ll carry over that moxie into this upcoming bout.
Despite the Grizzlies’ solid 4-2 record, they have yet to log a win over an impressive opponent, save for the victory over Utah. They were also blown out by the Indiana Pacers and topped by the Sacramento Kings, who to their credit are off to a surprisingly good start as well.
Considering how Memphis has looked thus far, though, it’s entirely fair to say that the Jazz should be the favorites once again in this contest. However, they failed to show up the last time these two teams matched up, so if that happens again, expect a similar ugly result.
If Utah is to pull off the W this time around, they’ll need to truly excel in the following key areas.