On Monday, the Jazz came back from a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter to knock off the San Antonio Spurs in unbelievable fashion and with a loud and roaring crowd behind them. Not only was this a big win, but it showed how resilient the Jazz are when they face pressure situations like the one they had on Monday.
They are highly expected to get 11 in a row tonight against a Phoenix Suns team that his second to last in the Western Conference at just 18-40. Not only that, but they are only 9-19 on the road and have currently lost six in a row after getting blown out by Golden State by 46 on Monday in Oakland. The last time both the Jazz and Suns faced off, the Jazz pulled off a 32-point win and dominated the Suns in every single aspect of that. Oh, and Donovan Mitchell, perhaps the Rookie of the Year, had 40 in that game.
The Suns' defense has been horrible this season. They're last in the league in opponent points per game and defensive rating. The offense hasn't been great, as they've shot poorly from the field at 41.4 percent and have shot 27.3 percent from deep. It ain't good, and that's why Warriors coach Steve Kerr let the players handle the coaching for most of that game Monday, because he knew it was against the Suns and that the Suns couldn't defend anything, no matter what scheme was brought up.
Another bad sign for the Suns is that both Devin Booker and Tyler Ulis, perhaps two of their best players, are out on Wednesday night, which means Tyson Chandler will get the most of the ball on the night, and he's not the same player he was when he was younger. Yes, he's helped the Suns the most, but with the Suns, their ineffectiveness on both ends of the floor has been their doom.
But it's not all glory for Utah, though. Monday was an emotional win and they could easily have a let-down game. It has happened before, not just with Utah. Golden State a couple of nights ago against Boston had a big emotional win and then got defeated easily by Utah. So Utah could very well face the same kind of test.
The one thing about Utah that I find that's different from most teams is that they feel locked in and focused. It's very vital that Utah continues that pace tonight, by shooting well, allowing Mitchell to do his thing, and allowing Rudy Gobert to contribute as well. The Jazz also have a lock-down defender in Royce O'Neale and he may be the key to the win. He's been great since Ricky Rubio was sidelined with an injury, and Rubio will probably not get much playing time against the Suns.
Look, either way, even if the Jazz are shorthanded or have a poorer game tonight than they did on Monday, it might still be enough to beat this Suns team. They don't have what the Jazz has in terms of offensive firepower or the defensive skills. Plus, the addition of Jae Crowder to this Jazz team has simply been a big boost. They've played better, they've built their offense better, and Crowder has been able to be the power he simply couldn't do in Cleveland for most of the season. Now, that doesn't mean he could revert back to that, but right now, he's been the biggest help for the Jazz, and I see him continuing that trend.
Tonight should be an easy game, assuming the Jazz know that they can't get cocky with this. Every game is tough and with the Jazz, overlooking some teams could be their doom, even the Suns. However, I still see the Jazz coming out with a big win on this night and moving to 11 wins in a row.
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