Five-Game Road Trip Begins In New Orleans | Utah Jazz

On the road again!

After a long homestand in which eight of its previous 10 games were played in the comfortable confines of Vivint Arena, Utah heads back east for a five-game road trip that will bring the Jazz to the midway point of the season.

That swing begins tonight when the Jazz face Brandon Ingram and the New Orleans Pelicans. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. MST. 

First stop of the road trip

6 PM MT
@ATTSportsNetRM
@ZoneSportsNet #TakeNote pic.twitter.com/IXDKFS0JuH

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) January 3, 2022

Before Saturday’s New Year’s Day loss to Golden State, the Jazz were playing as good, if not better, than anyone else in the league. They’d won 18 of their previous 22 games, including going a perfect 8-0 in road games.

But the loss to the Warriors, featuring two of the top three teams in the league, is being looked at through a magnifying glass from all the talking heads in the NBA. However, the Jazz understand that the game was just one of 82 and aren’t looking at it any differently than others.

“They are always great opportunities when we get to play against the best in the league, especially when we consider ourselves to be in that conversation,” Mike Conley said. “We want to compete against those guys.”

Playing on the back end of back-to-back games, Utah used a massive third quarter to take a five-point lead heading into the final 12 minutes. But according to head coach Quin Snyder, the team ran out of gas a bit in the fourth and couldn’t overcome Golden State’s late charge.

“I thought we got a little tired late,” Snyder said postgame. “They were physical with us. Even when the game is late, we have to continue to run and space the floor and continue to try and attack in space.”

Regardless of being tired, there aren’t going to be many games where Donovan Mitchell and Conley combine to shoot 8-for-32 from the field. Despite getting good looks, sometimes the ball doesn’t go through the hoop, so progressing back to the norms will be a positive for the Jazz.

“We didn’t play our best, but you can look at that, and we can take a lot of things from this,” Mitchell said. “Closing, execution, turnovers, defensive lapses. Those are the things we can take away from a game like this. Luckily, it’s early. … We’ve just got to come back ready.” 

Moving forward, Utah would like to close out the first half of the season on a high note. 

Zion Williamson has been ruled out for Monday’s game, but Ingram and Jonas Valanciunas are expected to be in the lineup. 

These two teams last met on back-to-back days at the end of November, splitting the games. Following the loss in the opener, Utah responded with a 22-point victory that ignited an eight-game winning streak.

Solid December for Big Fella #MasterOfTheGlass | @safelite pic.twitter.com/IQqxXjGTls

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) January 3, 2022

STATS
Utah (26-10, 12-3 away / No. 3 Western Conference)
Offense
*116.0 Points Per Game (No. 1 in NBA)
*117.0 Offensive Rating (No. 1 in NBA)

Defense
*106.2 Points Per Game (No. 10 in NBA)
*107.1 Defensive Rating (No. 6 in NBA)

*Donovan Mitchell: 25.6 points / 5.2 assists / 3.9 rebounds
*Rudy Gobert: 15.7 points / 15.0 rebounds / 2.3 blocks / 71.6% shooting 
*Bojan Bogdanovic: 17.7 points / 3.9 rebounds / 42.5% 3P-territory
*Jordan Clarkson: 15.1 points / 3.6 rebounds / 2.3 assists / 25.5 minutes

New Orleans Pelicans (13-23, 7-9 away / No. 14 Western Conference)
Offense
*105.3 Points Per Game (No. 25 in NBA)
*106.9 Offensive Rating (No. 25 in NBA)

Defense
*110.2 Points Per Game (No. 21 in NBA)
*111.5 Defensive Rating (No. 24 in NBA)

*Brandon Ingram: 22.9 points / 6.1 rebounds / 4.9 assists
*Jonas Valanciunas: 18.5 points / 12.0 rebounds / 45.3% 3P-territory
*Devonte’ Graham: 14.0 points / 4.6 assists 
*Nickeil Alexander-Walker: 13.8 points

MATCHUP TO WATCH
*Rudy Gobert vs. Jonas Valanciunas
— In the first two meetings earlier this season, Valanciunas got the better of Gobert in both stats and +/- rating. But Gobert is in the midst of the best season of his career, including a 20-point, 19-rebound performance against the Warriors two nights ago. A battle between two of the better big men in the league, this one should be physical and fun.

INJURY REPORT
Utah
QUESTIONABLE — Hassan Whiteside (concussion protocol)
QUESTIONABLE — Eric Paschall (personal reasons – Non-COVID related)
OUT — Udoka Azubuike (right ankle sprain)

New Orleans
AVAILABLE — Jonas Valanciunas (health and safety protocols)
QUESTIONABLE — Brandon Ingram (left achilles soreness)
OUT — Kira Lewis Jr. (right kneee sprain)
OUT — Didi Louzada (suspension)
OUT — Tomas Satoransky (health and safety protocols)
OUT — Zion Williamson (right foot fracture)

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Time: 6:00 p.m. MST
Location: Smoothie King Center / New Orleans, LA
TV: AT&T SportsNet
Radio: 1280 The Zone