What to Watch For: Utah Jazz vs San Antonio Spurs

The Utah Jazz return home to take on the San Antonio Spurs in back to back games beginning on Monday

The Utah Jazz knocked off the Toronto Raptors in a gritty 106-102 win on Saturday night. Utah will face the San Antonio Spurs in back to back games beginning on Monday.

Jazz vs Spurs Throwback:

In the two team's 193 game history, the Spurs lead the all-time series over the Jazz 108-85. The Jazz and Spurs rivalry reached it's height between 2000 and 2010 with players like Karl Malone, David Robinson, John Stockton, Tony Parker, Deron Williams, Tim Duncan, Carlos Boozer, and Manu Ginobili.

Last time the Jazz and Spurs went head to head, Utah beat San Antonio 130-109 in the Lone Star State. Bojan Bogdanovic led Utah with 28-points while Donovan Mitchell added 9-assists and Rudy Gobert had 6-blocks.

Key Players:

Rudy Gobert and Jakob Poeltl are the two top defenders in the league this season, and will be the matchup to watch out for later this evening.

Rudy Gobert (27) scores over Jakob Poeltl (25) 

Gobert leads the Jazz in rebounds (13.4), field goal percentage (67.8%), and blocks (2.8) per game this season. The Stifle Tower is the current frontrunner for Defensive Player of the Year and has been exceptional for the Jazz during another All-Star season.

Former Utah Runnin' Ute Jakob Poeltl returns to Salt Lake City after having one of his best NBA seasons since joining the league in 2016. Poeltl leads the Spurs in rebounds (8), field goal percentage (63%), and blocks (1.8) per game.

Fun Facts:

For the final time this regular season, the Jazz will wear their statement uniforms. Utah is currently undefeated (8-0) in their gold jerseys, with their last win in the uniform coming in a 154-point effort against the Sacramento Kings last week.

The Utah Jazz increased fan attendance to 6,700 capacity last weekend. Read more about it here.

Donovan Mitchell's ankle was re-evaluated before the Raptors game on Saturday for his right ankle injury, and will be out for at least another week. He will be re-evaluated once again this weekend.

The Utah Jazz were the first team to secure a spot in the 2021 NBA Playoffs. Never fear Jazz fans, Utah is still in the race for the number one overall seed and are likely to have a few different teams that they could play in the first round of the playoffs.

The Utah Jazz are gearing up to make one final push for the number one seed as they play their last eight games of the regular season. They are 46-18 and are tied with Phoenix in first place in the NBA and Western Conference. Because the Suns hold the tiebreaker against the Jazz, Utah currently holds the second seed in the standings. The Jazz are leading the Denver Nuggets by three games in the Western Conference. They also lead the Philadelphia 76ers by three games and the Brooklyn Nets by three and a half games in the Eastern Conference.

The San Antonio Spurs are trying to secure a spot in the NBA Playoffs with a 31-32 record. The Spurs are currently in tenth place in the Western Conference and are in seventeenth place in the NBA. They are 2-3 in their last five games with wins over the New Orleans Pelicans and Washington Wizards. Their losses have come against the Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, and Philadelphia 76ers.

Jakob Poeltl returns to Salt Lake City after playing for the University of Utah from 2014-2016. While on the hill, Poeltl was a consensus second team All-American while also earning the Pete Newell Big Man Award and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award. He led the Runnin' Utes to two March Madness Tournament bids in 2015 and 2016 before being drafted ninth overall in 2016 to the Toronto Raptors. 

Donovan Mitchell (right ankle sprain) and Mike Conley (right hamstring) are both listed as out for Monday night's game on the Jazz injury report.

Former Jazzman Trey Lyles (ankle) and Derrick White (ankle) are both listed as out against the Jazz later this evening.

Joe Ingles (2) scores against the San Antonio Spurs

How to Consume:

The Utah Jazz and San Antonio Spurs will face each other tonight at 8pm MST. Jazz fans can watch the game on AT&T SportsNet, and can also tune into the game on 97.5FM or 1280AM.

Welcome to Inside the Jazz - the new Utah Jazz fan site on Sports Illustrated. Our site is currently under construction and the commenting capability is turned off. We look forward to engaging with you in the future! While we work on some exciting updates to improve your experience, you can ask us questions through one of our social media channels:

Facebook - Utah Jazz Sports Illustrated

Twitter - @Utahjazz_SI

Instagram - @UtahJazz_SI