The Utah Jazz (12-22) welcome in the Indiana Pacers (13-22) tonight to EnergySolutions Arena at 7:00 PM. The Jazz have won 6 out of their last 9 games including a win against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday 101-89. The Pacers come into the game following a loss on Sunday to the Los Angeles Lakers 88-87.
The Jazz will be without 4 players, and possibly 5, tonight: guard Alec Burks is out after left shoulder surgery, guard Patrick Christopher is out with a right patella injury, guard Rodney Hood won’t be able to play due to a left foot injury, and center Enes Kanter is out with a sprained right ankle. To make matters even worse, guard Trey Burke did not participate in shoot-around this morning due to illness. He is listed as questionable for tonight’s game against the Pacers.
If Trey Burke cannot play tonight, rookie Dante Exum will get the start. Rudy Gobert will also have a big test tonight as he goes up against Roy Hibbert. Utah Jazz Head Coach calls Hibbert the best defensive center in the league.
Here is the audio from Jazz Head Coach Quin Snyder following shoot-around this morning:
Rudy Gobert is averaging 6 points per game, 6.6 rebounds a game, and leads the team with 1.9 blocks per game. Here is Rudy Gobert with the media following shoot-around:
The Utah Jazz did make a roster move as they signed guard/forward Elijah Millsap to a 10-day contract. He last played with the Bakersfield Jam of the NBADL. Millsap is the younger brother of former Jazzman Paul Millsap. He will wear the number 13 with the Jazz. Here he is with the media following shoot-around this morning:
With all the injuries, Millsap may see some action tonight. This will not be an easy game for the Jazz due to all the players being out. Players will need to step up their play when they are on the floor. They need to take advantage of the Pacers playing on a back-to-back. The Jazz need to pressure the Pacers on offense. They need to jump out to an early lead and maintain it throughout the game. They can’t allow the Pacers to get easy opportunities on offense. There will be some interesting lineups on the floor tonight. It will be interesting to see how the Jazz respond.
