The Utah Jazz (19-24) will take on the Detroit Pistons (23-21) Monday night at Vivint Smart Home Arena at 7:00 PM as the Jazz will play game 1 of 6 straight at home. This is the longest home stand for the Jazz this season. They will need to take advantage of these home games as they currently sit 1 game out of the playoffs in the 9th spot behind the Sacramento Kings. The Jazz are coming off of a win on Friday night against the Brooklyn Nets. Their game against the Washington Wizards was postponed to a later date due to the massive snow storm that hit the east coast. Derrick Favors is listed as doubtful again for tonight’s game with low back soreness. The Pistons are coming into the game losers of 2 in a row.
Here is Utah Jazz Head Coach Quin Snyder with the media this morning:
The Utah Jazz are one of the league’s weaker offensive teams this season, averaging 97.7 points (25th in the NBA), but they have eclipsed 100 points in their last five games. That is their longest such streak since January 2014. Gordon Hayward continues to impress as he has carried the load with all the injuries on the team as he is averaging 22.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.4 assists since December 26. The Jazz continue to be one of the better defensive teams in the NBA as they are ranked 5th in the NBA in scoring defense at 97.4 points per game. They will need to pick it up offensively tonight against the Pistons. One stat they will need to continue to improve is their team assists per game. They have done better as of late, but they still remain dead last in the NBA at 18.3 assists per game.
Here is Gordon Hayward with the media after shoot around:
Trey Lyles has really improved his game. He has definitely taken advantage of his increased playing time. Over the last 10 games he is nearly averaging double figures in scoring as he is at 9.8 points per game during that stretch. He is hitting 50% of his shots and pulling down 6.3 rebounds. It has been great to see his progression this season. He is getting more comfortable every game.
The Utah Jazz have enjoyed having Rudy Gobert back in the lineup as their defense has improved. He provides some comfort for his teammates. He had a chance to talk with the media after shoot around. Here is that audio:
