3 Critical Keys to Success for Jazz to Extend Winning Streak vs. Raptors

The Utah Jazz have the opportunity to jump to .500 in Friday night’s matchup vs. the Toronto Raptors.

The Utah Jazz are in the midst of a solid winning streak spanning the past week and can extend that stretch to four during Friday night’s game against the Toronto Raptors. This will be the second matchup between these two squads this season after the Jazz got a W in their first meeting, 126-119.

A win in this matchup would mean big things for Utah. After starting the season a bit sluggish on both ends, the Jazz have managed to jump up in the Western Conference standings to only one game back from the 10-seed. In the event of a victory, they would jump to a .500 record for the first time since the season started in October.

With that, here are three keys the Jazz must utilize to come out on top in Friday’s game vs. the Raptors: 

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Dec 21, 2023; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Utah Jazz forward Kelly Olynyk (41) is defended by Detroit Pistons forward Marvin Bagley III (35) in the second half at Little Caesars Arena / Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Take Advantage of the Size Mismatch

This matchup against the Raptors is one in which the Jazz can focus on their strengths. They’ve been a high-efficiency team across their winning stretch when shooting in the paint and should continue against a team that’s extremely limited in size. 

The Raptors will be without starting center Jakob Poeltl, Christian Koloko, and potentially All-Star Pascal Siakam. While Toronto was already short-handed in length, it elevates that concern.

With giants like Lauri Markkanen, Kelly Olynyk, John Collins, and Walker Kessler in the rotation for the Jazz, it makes getting to the rim and finding good looks inside that much easier. When Will Hardy is game planning for this one, emphasizing their edge in the paint.

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Jan 10, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson (00) takes a shot against the Denver Nuggets during the first half at the Delta Center / Christopher Creveling-USA TODAY Sports

Keep Up Momentum From Three

The Jazz are coming off a strong performance shooting beyond the arc after their game on Wednesday vs. the Denver Nuggets. It was a massive part of their eventual dominant 124-111 win as they got ahead big in the first half, going 9/19 from three.

While the production shooting the ball tended to fizzle out as the second half went underway, you could see just how good this Jazz team can be when hitting shots from outside. They were simply dismantling the reigning champions by almost 20 points after 24 minutes. If shot-makers like Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, and Jordan Clarkson are on, it’s a difficult task for any opposing defense.

Utah is in the bottom ten of the NBA for three-point percentage, but the potential for strides forward is apparent. If the Jazz can hone in to continue to find and hit their open looks on Friday, the Raptors are in for a long night.

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Christopher Creveling-USA TODAY Sports

Heavy Focus on Ball Security

One continued issue with the Jazz throughout this season has been their inability to be consistent when limiting turnovers. Utah currently leads the NBA in turnovers with 16.4 a night, a rate that needs to be cut down if this team wants to keep finding wins in the left column.

Inserting a player like Kris Dunn into the starting lineup has been a massive benefit for Utah when it comes to being savvier with the ball, while also having the ability to facilitate. Just recently, in the Jazz’s game vs. the Milwaukee Bucks, we saw him post 13 assists on just one turnover. As a result, Utah only had nine giveaways as a team.

If the Jazz can be careful with the rock, snagging a win on their home floor is well within reach.

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