Game Thread: All-Star break is over, Utah Jazz host San Antonio Spurs
With the All-Star break behind us, the Utah Jazz must now get back to business. The first challenge post-break is the San Antonio Spurs.
Most teams can’t wait for the All-Star break to come around. It’s the perfect opportunity to get some rest, heal up and regroup for the remainder of the regular season. For the Utah Jazz, they’ll take advantage of said rest, but they’ll also hope to maintain the momentum that they had previously built.
Going into the break, they had won four straight. The last three wins were impressive, considering they came against playoff teams in Houston, Dallas and Miami.
Let’s hope that the Jazz didn’t lose any of that swagger they had prior to the All-Star break. They’re going to need it in these final 28 games of the season as they look to secure a top seed and home-court advantage in the playoffs.
I do have a feeling that both Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell will maintain the All-Star swagger that they had during the All-Star game. That should boost their confidence even more.
Utah’s first test after the All-Star break is a San Antonio Spurs team that is on the playoff bubble. They have made the playoffs in 22 consecutive seasons, but that legendary stretch is in doubt this season as they sit with a record of 23-31.
They’re the 10th seed in the Western Conference, but have the talent to make a late-season playoff push. This isn’t going to be an easy game for the Jazz.
These two teams met on January 29th in San Antonio, with the Spurs picking up the win. They dropped 127 points on Utah’s defense, so they’ll have to be a lot better on that end this time around.
Can the Utah Jazz make it five straight wins and come out of the All-Star break with a win? Let’s hope so, because from here on out, every single win is going to be extremely valuable. This is a game that the Jazz need to win.
Game Data
Broadcast Info
Tip-off: 7:00 PM on February 21st from Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah
TV: AT&T SportsNet
Radio: The Zone Sports Network (97.5 FM and 1280 AM Salt Lake City)
Projected Starting Lineups
Utah Jazz Position San Antonio Spurs
Rudy Gobert C LaMarcus Aldridge
Bojan Bogdanovic PF Trey Lyles
Donovan Mitchell PG Dejounte Murray
Injuries
Mike Conley is out tonight due to rest/load management. Before you freak out and say “he had the whole All-Star break to rest,” it’s simply apart of his scheduled load management. He’ll be available for tomorrow’s game against Houston.
Nigel Williams-Goss has a left quad contusion and will not play tonight. He isn’t apart of the rotation, so it’s not a huge loss. Heal up quickly, Nigel!
Justin Wright-Foreman is on assignment with the Salt Lake City Stars and will not be available for tonight’s game.
The Spurs’ five-man group of Drew Eubanks, Keldon Johnson, Chimezie Metu, Luka Samanic and Quinndary Weatherspoon are all on G-League assignment and will not be available for tonight’s game.
Prediction
I’m feeling good about tonight’s game. I think the Utah Jazz know how important the remaining 28 games are and will come out with aggression and desire. I think they’ll protect home court and get a double-digit victory over the Spurs.
I’ll go with a final score prediction of 111-91. I haven’t exactly been accurate with these predictions, so let’s hope I can get some of the momentum that the Jazz have. Wink.
Next. The West keeps improving, but the Jazz remain contenders. dark
Discussion
#SASatUTA is the hashtag on Twitter, and as always the comment thread will be available for some live game chatter. Go Jazz!