The streaking Utah Jazz look to beat up on another Eastern Conference foe when Kemba Walker and the Charlotte Hornets hit the court at the Viv.
The Utah Jazz will be faced with a familiar task on Monday night — beating an Eastern Conference team isn’t in their league, despite having a high-scoring guard to lead its charge.
After losing to the Golden State Warriors by 47 points on Sunday, All-Star point-man Kemba Walker and the Charlotte Hornets (35-41) will take the court at Vivint Smart Home Arena to complete a back-to-back set. And, regardless of Charlotte’s tired legs and sub-.500 record, the Jazz may be in for a fight as they look to take their current win streak from a fantastic four to a fab five.
Utah will be without multiple key players in the game, which may even the playing field somewhat. In addition to Dante Exum, who just had surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon, big man Derrick Favors (back spasms) and sharpshooter Kyle Korver (knee soreness) will both be out for the Jazz.
Also — back-up point guard Raul Neto (concussion) remains questionable.
Even with the injuries, though, the Hornets are a team the Jazz should beat handily, especially with this being their third road game in just four night. However, Walker is still a player who can instantly turn tides in the face of overwhelming odds.
Such was the case last Tuesday when he dropped 38 points to lead Charlotte to a seemingly unlikely overtime win over the playoff-bound San Antonio Spurs.
Although Walker’s performance against the Jazz over the years has been uneven at best, he did drop 52 on them back in 2016. And the Jazz are just days removed from surrendering 34 points to Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (and almost losing in the process).
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That’s not something they’ll want to repeat against a more capable team in Charlotte. Having said all that, I expect the Jazz to do what they need to hold court against the road-weary Hornets.
When these two teams met in December, Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert combined for 50 points, 23 boards and eight assists. Look for the duo to have another big outing here. Especially with the Hornets’ defense conceding a league-worst 124 point per 100 possessions over their last four games.
As was the case with the Wizards game, this one may be closer than we expect, but the Jazz should absolutely take care of business.
PREDICTION: Utah Jazz win 109-102
Tip-off for the Jazz-Hornets affair is at 7 PM MT. Follow the live game discussion in the comment thread below this article.