What’s up with the Jazz?
The Utah Jazz are banged up in more ways than one as they head to San Francisco to face the Golden State Warriors. They’ve only won two of their last eight outings, recently snapping a two-game skid when they defeated the Detroit Pistons on Saturday.
Record-wise, Utah is 30-16, but the Grizzlies have leapfrogged them for third in the West. Personnel-wise, they go up against the Warriors short-handed with injuries to several key players. Donovan Mitchell remains out due to concussion protocols and will miss his third straight game. Big men Rudy Gobert (ankle) and Hassan Whiteside (conditioning) are both listed as questionable, while sharpshooter Bojan Bogdanovic is probable because of a hand injury.
It’s unfortunate that the Jazz won’t be at full strength. The last time the Warriors and Jazz tossed it up earlier this month, the two teams figured in a battle of runs and comebacks. The Warriors built a 16-point lead but a 41-point quarter from the Jazz turned things around. The last laugh, however, belonged to Golden State as Andrew Wiggins led a late charge to get the victory. The Jazz would want nothing more than to avenge that loss and get a road win.
What’s up with the Warriors?
Emotions are running pretty high in the Bay Area after Steph Curry just knocked down his first career buzzer-beater in a win over the Houston Rockets. It was his eighth game-winner but this was the very first one where the red lights on the backboard lit up and the clock read double zero as the ball went in.
The 33-13 Warriors are still part of the West’s crème de la crème but they’ve had a couple of head-scratching losses in their last set of games. They lost back-to-back to fellow contenders Grizzlies and Bucks, recovered for a huge blowout against the Bulls, but lost to the Timberwolves. After disposing of the Pistons easily, they suffered a tough overtime defeat versus the lowly Pacers at home. If it weren't for Curry's heroics, the Warriors might have been upset by the Rockets too.
One of the primary reasons for the Warriors’ slippage is Draymond Green, who is still out because of a disc issue in his back. Green is a prime facilitator on offense and the team’s anchor on defense. This year’s Defensive Player of the Year candidate is expected to miss at least one more week.
Like the Jazz, the Warriors have cooled off quite a bit after their hot start. As both teams try to navigate the muddy waters of late January, it’ll boil down to who can step up for their undermanned squads.
