What to Watch For: Utah Jazz at Phoenix Suns

The Utah Jazz will face a major test against the Phoenix Suns later tonight in the battle between the first and second place teams in the NBA.

The Utah Jazz fell at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks on Monday 111-103. The Jazz will look to get back to their winning ways as they take on a surging Phoenix Suns team later this evening. 

Jazz vs Suns Throwback:

In 187 games played between the Utah Jazz and Phoenix Suns, the matchup is virtually deadlocked, with the Suns holding a one-game edge over the Jazz 94-93. Utah and Phoenix have gone head to head once so far this season, ending in a 106-95 Suns win.

The Jazz and Suns faced off against each other during the fourth game of the 2020-2021 season. Although the Suns finished with the New Years Eve win, the Jazz had some good performances during the game. Donovan Mitchell led the team with 23-points and Mike Conley added 4-assists during the matchup. The Jazz won the scoring battle in three of the four quarters, with Phoenix outscoring the Jazz 32-18 in the second quarter. Unfortunately for Utah, that scoring drought was the difference in the game, giving the Jazz their second loss on the season.

Key Players:

Tonight's matchup to keep your eye on will be between two All-Star caliber guards, Donovan Mitchell and Devin Booker.

Donovan Mitchell (45) scores over Devin Booker (1) and the Phoenix Suns

Mitchell leads the team in points (25.4), and is second on the team in assists (5.4) and steals (1) per game. Mitchell has led the team in scoring through ten of the last twelve games, dating back to March 14, when Rudy Gobert led the team with 24-points. During the Jazz last game, Mitchell finished with 16-points and 5-rebounds.

Booker leads the team in points (25.9), is second on the team in assists (4.6), and is third on the team in steals (0.9) per game. Booker has led the Suns in scoring through seven of the last eight games, dating back to March 2 against the Toronto Raptors. During the Suns last game, Booker finished with 36-points and 6-rebounds. 

Fun Facts:

Utah's home-white uniforms will make their twentieth appearance this season against the Phoenix Suns. The Jazz are currently 13-6 in the association uniforms, with their last win in the white jerseys coming against the Memphis Grizzlies on March 26.

Does Donovan Mitchell deserve to be a part of the MVP talks? Read more about the thought process behind this question here.

The Utah Jazz have the top three longest win streaks in the entire NBA this season. They've won 11-games in a row between January 8, 2021 and January 29, 2021, 9-games in a row between February 2, 2021 and February 17, 2021, and their second 9-game winning streak between March 19, 2021 and April 3, 2021. The next closest winning streak is an 8-game winning streak, held by the Atlanta Hawks, Milwaukee Bucks, and Brooklyn Nets.

The Utah Jazz lost to the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night, giving them a 9-1 record in their last ten games. Utah is 38-12, and are still in first place in the NBA. Utah leads the Phoenix Suns by two and a half games and the Los Angeles Clippers by five games in the Western Conference. They also lead the Brooklyn Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers by three and a half games in the Eastern Conference. A win tonight would put the Jazz in a good position to hold the tie-breaker over the Suns if the Western Conference standings come down to that at the end of the regular season.

The Phoenix Suns are 35-14 and are currently in second place in the NBA and Western Conference. They trail only the Utah Jazz in both standings. The Suns are 6-0 in their last six games, with their wins coming over the Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, and Toronto Raptors. Their last loss came on March 24 against the Orlando Magic.

The Jazz injury report includes Juwan Morgan (calf) and Elijah Hughes (Illness) who are both listed as 'out' against the Phoenix Suns. Abdel Nader (knee) is listed as 'out' on Phoenix's injury report against the Jazz. Both teams should be at full strength for tonight's game. 

How to Consume:

The Utah Jazz and Phoenix Suns will showdown on national television tonight at 8pm MST. Jazz fans can watch the game nationally on ESPN and locally on AT&T SportsNet. They can also tune into the game on 97.5FM or 1280AM.

Joe Ingles (2) shoots a layup over Jae Crowder (99) and the Phoenix Suns

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