A Very “Jazzy” January
As of January 14th, 2020, the Utah Jazz are the hottest team in the NBA. Salt Lake City’s own are on a 9-game winning streak and have been victorious in 14 out of their last 15 games. The Jazz have not lost back to back games since December 3rd / 4th, mostly due to the weaker stretch of their schedule over the holidays. The most impressive win was their convincing road performance against the LA Clippers during the last week of December, but every other victory over the past 9 games has been against sub .500 teams. While it’s tough to win at that type of level for any team in the NBA, it should be noted that they’ll have a much different next two weeks, as they’ll take on the Mavs, Rockets, and Nuggets multiple times before Valentine’s Day.
Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell have been playing at an All-Star level since Mike Conley has been sidelined due to injury, while Jordan Clarkson has added much-needed depth to their bench unit. The solid play of Joe Ingles and Bogdan Bogdanovic have also elevated the play of the team to get them to their current 3rd place in the Western Conference standings. Multiple-time DPOY Rudy Gobert has had a massive last week, posting a +74 plus-minus in the last four games (averaging 15.3 points, 15.5 rebounds, and 2 blocks in 31.75 minutes per game). He’ll look to continue his impressive performance later in the week against teams like the Nets, Pelicans, and Kings that struggle with defending big men in the post.
The Jazz continue their 3-game road trip tonight in Brooklyn, where they’ll take on a Nets team that has won two straight home games. Kyrie Irving and Caris Levert are expected to suit up for Brooklyn, while Mike Conley will continue to miss time for the Jazz. Utah is currently listed as -3.5 road favorites over the Nets, with a total of 222 on offer.
Team-high 20 PTS for @JordanClarksons!
And the Utah Jazz are on a 11-game win streak (9-0 since acquiring JC).
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) January 11, 2020
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