Gm58: Celtics @ UTAH Jazz (Wed 2/26 @ 10:30PM)

A weary celtics team tries to take advantage of the slumping jazz.

Preview: Boston Celtics at Utah Jazz Game #58
The Celtics look to end road trip on a high note as they take on the Utah Jazz.
By flceltsfan

Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images

The Celtics close out their four game Western road trip in Utah for the first of two regular season games against the Jazz. They will meet one more time on March 6 in Boston. The Jazz swept the Celtics 2-0 last season, winning 98-86 in Boston and 123-115 in Utah.

The Celtics are 57-41 all time overall vs the Jazz and 21-28 all time in Utah. The Jazz are on the 5th game of a 6 game home stand. They are 1-3 so far on the home stand and have lost 3 straight. The Celtics are playing in the second game of a back to back set. They are 3-4 so far on the second night of back to back games and 1-0 when the games are both on the road.

Their last loss at home was a 131-111 loss to the struggling lottery bound Phoenix Suns. The Jazz allowed the Suns to shoot 56.3% from the field for the game. They also allowed the Suns to score 66 points in the paint, and to make 60% of their 3-point attempts. They turned the ball over 20 times and, in spite of having one of the top rebounders on their team, were out rebounded 38-30. They also shot 43 free throws to just 24 for the Suns and still lost. Needless to say, the Jazz struggled in that one and will be looking to come out strong and get back on track in this one. The Celtics need to be ready for a strong effort from them.

The Celtics are still 3rd in the East, 1.5 games behind the Raptors and 4 games ahead of the Heat. They are 17-12 on the road and 8-2 in their last 10 games. They are 15-8 vs Western Conference teams. The Jazz are 5th in the West. They are 20-8 at home and 4-6 in their last 10 games. They are 15-5 vs Eastern Conference teams. The Celtics are looking to win their 2nd straight game while the Jazz are looking to avoid a 4 game home losing streak.

Kemba Walker will miss his 4th straight game with the sore knee. Robert Williams will also miss this game although he is close to a return and is scheduled for a scan at the end of the week that could clear him for a return. For the Jazz, only Nigel Williams-Goss (quad) and Miye Oni (G-League) are out.

Against the Suns, the Jazz replaced Royce O’Neale with Mike Conley in the starting lineup. At shoot around today, they were informed that Conley would be out and O’Neale back in the lineup. Head coach Quin Snyder later informed them that Conley would remain in the lineup and Joe Ingles would be removed. O’Neale is their best perimeter defender and they likely want him to guard Jayson Tatum, who has been on a tear of late. Snyder is playing musical players while trying to get his team back on track after 3 home losses in a row.

Jaylen Brown vs Donovan Mitchell
Donovan Mitchell is averaging 24.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. He is shooting 45.9% from the field and 36.7% from beyond the arc. Mitchell is coming off a 38 point game vs the Suns and is a threat to have a big game in this one also. Jaylen will need to stick with Mitchell to keep him from having another big game.

Gordon Hayward vs Bojan Bogdanovic
Bogdanovic is averaging 20.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists. He is shooting 44.8% from the field and 41.8% from beyond the arc. Hayward will need to stay with him on the perimeter where he is a big threat to score. Gordon may get booed or cheered and hopefully he will be motivated by whichever reaction the fans give him.

Daniel Theis vs Rudy Gobert
Gobert averages 15.6 points, 14.4 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game. He shoots 68.7% from the field and hasn’t shot a 3 pointer this season. Daniel Theis needs to box him out and keep him off the boards and out of the paint as much as possible. It would also help if Theis can hit some outside shots to draw him out to the perimeter.