2/22 Utah at Oklahoma City
7:30 pm MT – ESPN
Opponent record: 37-20
Season series: Thunder lead 2-0
The Utah Jazz put up one heck of a fight against the Oklahoma City Thunder last time around, but ultimately an abysmal third quarter and a stellar 43-point outing from Paul George turned out to be too much. PG has been on an absolute tear of late, and the Jazz have struggled mightily against the Thunder in the regular season the past couple years. Hopefully Utah can capture some of last season’s playoff magic and arise victorious over OKC on Friday.
Unfortunately, I have a feeling that’s going to be easier said than done. The Thunder came into All-Star break winning 11 of 13 contests. While Paul George has been their catalyst, Russell Westbrook‘s insane triple-double streak can’t be ignored either. He’s riding a record 11 straight games with such a stat line, and as a result has his Thunder squad firing on all cylinders.
The Jazz did a phenomenal job against Westbrook in the last meeting, holding him to just eight points on 3-of-17 shooting while preventing him from reaching double-figure assists. But obviously, George walked all over them to counterbalance Brodie’s off night.
For the Jazz to arise victorious, they’ll need to put up a gutsy defensive performance and find a way to stop both. Oh yeah, then there’s also that Steven Adams guy they have to worry about. Adams has given Rudy Gobert fits in the past, and will likely be yet another thorn in Utah’s side once again.
I’d love to see Utah come out strong and get the post-All-Star break started out on a high note. However, I’m feeling less than optimistic that such will be the case. I expect the Thunder to continue their surge and, especially on their home court where Utah has struggled, prove to be too much for the Jazz.
My Prediction: Thunder Win
Final Score: OKC 112, Utah 105