Game 47: Portland Trail Blazers (23-22) @ Utah Jazz (25-21)

[FJS]

VS

Friday 1st, February 2013
Salt Lake City, Utah
7:00 MWT
Energy Solutions Arena





- Hickson - Aldridge - Batum - Matthews - Lillard




- Jefferson - Millsap - Williams - Foye - Tinsley





KEY PLAYERS FROM THE BENCH


- Jeffries - Babbitt - Price - Barton - Pavlovic



- Favors - Hayward* - Watson - Kanter - Carroll
* Day to day

[slcjosh]

Should be a good game. I expect the Jazz to split this back to back. Id really like to steal both but I dont think its realistic, especially if Gordon Hayward is out (all signs point that he will be out for these games).
BTW im dropping in to say hi, im new to these forums and i look forward to chatting NBA ball and Jazz basketball with you guys!

[FJS]

TEAMS LEADERS:



L. Aldridge
PPG:20.7 BPG: 1.3


JJ Hickson
RPG: 10.9


D. Lillard
APG:6.5


W. Matthews
SPG: 1.5




A. Jefferson
PPG: 17.2 RPG: 9.5


Mo Williams (injuried)
APG: 6.7


P. Millsap
SPG:1.3


D. Favors
BPG:1.4

[FJS]

Should be a good game. I expect the Jazz to split this back to back. Id really like to steal both but I dont think its realistic, especially if Gordon Hayward is out (all signs point that he will be out for these games).
BTW im dropping in to say hi, im new to these forums and i look forward to chatting NBA ball and Jazz basketball with you guys!

Wellcome to our forum!!

Last year we played small ball vs them. LaMarcus was killing Millsap jumper after jumper and Favors slow him a lot and we won thanks to Derrick.

[SoCalJazzFan]

In theory, our frontcourt should be the difference (as far as a win) in this game.

[slcjosh]

agreed. i feel like favors vs aldridge is a great match up for favors defensively. Lemarcus is much more skilled on the offensive end, but favors is strong enough to push him out of position and athletic enough to stay in front of him. I know Ty will start millsap over favors, but i really hope he subs favors in early at some point, possibly even going back to the big lineup with favors, millsap and big al. im not sure if millsap can stay in front of batum but id rather batum put the ball on the floor and drive then knock down threes.

[RyanStorm]

No one has a bench like we do, they aren't deep with only 6 main players(worst bench in the league). Burks and Favors are key to the future(so is Hayward, he is like our Kyrie), we need to play them every night and will help outbeat POR bench. Their 5 starters are the top 5 players on their team. Our bench is #5, their #30, this is the best spot to beat them, although their top 3 players play 38 minutes. Tins and Wats have no way to conceal Lillard who is a scoring monster, and only Burks is good enough to compete against him and keep up with him all night. Millsap and Jefferson need to secure the paint vs Aldridge who is their highest scorer who makes his living on the jump shot from the left side, and in the paint, not to mention Hickson. Batum and Mathews are perimeter shooters and have the jump shot also.

Its a real high scoring small group, with the 6th man and the starters(which is their top 6 scorers), make up 90% of their points(87.8 of 97.1), while our top 6 shooters(who are playing tonight), make up 68% of the points(67.5 of 98.3), but of course Mo's and now Haywards points have shifted to others.

Lillard/Batum/Aldridge average 54 points, compared to Al/Paul/Foye average 44. Mathews and Hickson are making 28, while Marvin and Tinsley are making 12.8. This is over 20 points made by their starters over our starters. And our bench is only outscoring their bench by 20 points. So for 38 minutes of the game, they will be outscoring us by 20, and for 10 minutes we will be outscoring them by 20. So not only will our bench need to come in and all have big nights during bench vs bench, but our starters are going to need to play the toughest defense, to keep us ahead of the game. Of course our bench will play their starters, which is nice, but my clutch group is the best defense we got for this team.

My Predicted Lineups in Order:
Tins/Foye/Marvin/Paul/Jefferson (typical starters)
Wats/Foye/Carroll/Favors/Jefferson (1st rotation)
Wats/Burks/Carroll/Favors/Kanter (2nd Unit)
Burks/Carroll/Favors/Millsap/Jefferson (Clutch)


The spread is Utah by 5, which means that 4 points are added on top of our 1 point average advantage, because of the 7th man, the home crowd(harpring calls the crowd the 6th man, but that doesn't make sense. I call it the 7th man)

This should be first to 100...but with this team, we can't slip for even one possession in the 4th...Even a 10pt lead with 2 minutes left means nothing to them, even if its 101 to 91(there more likely to win if down by more in the 4th cause they have crazy comebacks). They will catch up if were not playing defense on every possession. I mean Aldridge made a 3pt'er and then a buzzer beat jump shot to win their last game....so anything can happen.

[slcjosh]

I agree, our bench is much better. My gut tells me the jazz will start slow (shocker, right?) and then the second unit will come in and kick their ass. we should win this game. I dont think we will win the game in portland, but who knows. I wish gordons shoulder would heal i feel ten times more confident in our chances when he is on the second unit.

[FJS]

When is going to come back Gordon?

So, I think Mo Williams was injuried 5 weeks ago... isn't supposed to be off 4-6 weeks? Somebody has any news about him?

[seejaydeja]

I get the feeling Hayward's injury might be more serious than FO is letting on. Hopefully it's not something that lingers for the rest of the season :\

[DiscoLives4ever]

I get the feeling Hayward's injury might be more serious than FO is letting on. Hopefully it's not something that lingers for the rest of the season :\

I think it's more a matter of not wanting to rush him back if they can help it. He's probably ready to go now, but the team wants to give him a full practice first which they won't be able to do until after the two Portland games.

I just want to see Favors and Kanter get more burn. When they combine for only ~30 minutes in a night that is absurd.

[RyanStorm]

WOW...Watson and Marvin are really stepping up tonight. They have been setting us back, and now I think Watson is injured...Meaning Burks will probably take his role...I just hope Burks get's his job forever!!

[RyanStorm]

I hope Burks school's Lillard to make him look good. Burks should have gotten into the Rising Stars competition, but he is just under rated..

Batum is a god send to not play, I am glad he is hurt. We need to draw fouls early on, this bench will be slaughtered!

[RyanStorm]

Aldridge, Lillard and Mathews are all deadly. We need to keep them off the court as long as possible by fouling them up, just any of them in foul trouble is perfect. We will win this game because they are missing 1 of their only 6 scores in Batum. He is hurt and off his game. If we can limit just one more guy, and keep everyone else on the starter to their averages we will win!

If we can contain everyone else, those top three can't score 90+ points, the only other scorer is Hickson and Batum, and Batum is hurt, then Leonard is only like 10pter player of the benches 16. We need to just limit all the bench points to under 10, and focus on not letting everyone on the starters score. We can live with Lilard, Aldridge and Mathews making just over their averages, they are just good so its gonna happen.

Just stop one guy, and crush their bench. They are a a house of cards, batum is hurt takes out one main pillar. Its gonna hurt them all night. We can't let Mathews and Price have career highs tonight.

Good 1st quarter!!

[RyanStorm]

I am so amazed by my favorite players and their defense....they are so good....which is why I think Carroll should play starter, cause Kanter, Favors, Burks and Hayward are all very good on defense.

[seejaydeja]

millsap is bringin it

[StocktonShorts]

Need moar Favors + Millsap.

Less gangnam style dancing by middle-aged ladies.

[StocktonShorts]

3 shooting guards are in the floor warming up right now. Murphy and Foye are shooting threes; Burks is shooting 15 footers.

[Inigo Montoya]

any working links to the game? the usual ones don't work today.

[RyanStorm]

OMG....they can't lose Mathews...their season will end.

They only got 6 real players on this team, and if Leonard moves to starter, that leaves a bench that only scores 6 points a game!!