The Utah Jazz (23-16) will have a tough test tonight at Vivint Smart Home Arena as they welcome in LeBron James and the Eastern Conference 1st place team and defending NBA Champion, the Cleveland Cavaliers (28-8). The Jazz are returning from a 5-game road trip where they went 2-3. The first game back is usually tough as Utah Jazz Head Coach Quin Snyder has said in the past that it is basically another road game for his team. Former Jazzman Kyle Korver is now on the Cavaliers after being traded to the team over the weekend. The Jazz will definitely be tested tonight defensively as the Cavaliers are a team that likes to shoot and they do very well at it. LeBron James has always played well in Salt Lake as well. The Jazz will need to play great defensively and be able to hit their open shots. It will be tough to slow the Cavaliers down.
LeBron James talked with the media prior to shoot around this morning. He is leading the team in scoring at 26.2 points, assists at 8.3, and steals at 1.2 per game. he determines how the offense goes. Here is the audio from shoot around:
Tyronn Lue talked with the media before shoot around as well. Here is the audio:
Tip-off for tonight’s game is set for 7:00 PM. Every game is critical for the Jazz as they continue to maintain and try to improve their playoff seeding. They are currently 6th in the Western Conference and are tied with the Oklahoma City Thunder for 1st place in the Northwest Division.