The San Antonio Spurs (40-14) will look to sweep the home-and-home series against the Utah Jazz (29-28) tonight in Utah and extend their winning streak to 12.
Last night, the Spurs beat the Jazz 114-104 thanks to a huge effort by Tony Parker who finished with 28 points to pace San Antonio as the Spurs never trailed in the game. Tim Duncan chipped in with 13 points and 16 rebounds while Utah was led by Al Jefferson with 19 points and 10 rebounds. With the win, the Spurs took a 3-0 season-series from the Jazz.
For a complete preview of tonight’s matchup, be sure to read Project Spurs’ Paul Garcia’s scouting report but here are five things to watch for in tonight’s Spurs-Jazz contest.
- Be careful around the rim Spurs. Utah is fourth in the NBA in blocked shots with 5.7 per game with Jefferson averaging 1.6 blocks.
- Utah’s bench isn’t that bad. Utah’s bench is averaging 35 points per game this season ranking them fifth in the NBA right below the Spurs who average 39.5.
- Utah can be deadly when they bring the defense. Utah is 23-6 when holding teams to under 100 points.
- When Milsap is blocking shots, Utah might win. The Jazz are 11-3 when Paul Milsap records two or more blocked shots.
- Spurs should really clamp down on defense. Utah is 11-2 when they shoot 50% or more.
Team vs. team: Here is how the Spurs and Jazz have fared against one another this season (via nba.com).
