Game Info When: Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2019 • 8:30 PM MT Where: Oracle Arena • Oakland, CA TV: TNT, AT&T Sports Net – Rocky Mountain Radio: 97.5 FM | 1280 AM The Zone Injuries: Utah Jazz: Dante Exum – Left Ankle Sprain – OUT Thabo Sefolosha – Right Hamstring – OUT Tony Bradley – Right Knee Surgery – OUT Golden State Warriors: Draymond Green — Knee — Available Andre Iguodala — Hamstring — Questionable Mandatory Highlight Draymond Green on Rudy Gobert’s All-Star snub: “To cry in a press conference about not making All Star can be a way to lose that mental edge on someone.” https://t.co/fJLufItf1r — Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) February 7, 2019 Ground Rules Welcome to the SLC Dunk Game Thread. Dunkers know how this thing works, but for you lurkers ready to make the jump to Dunker, we have a few guidelines. Remember to follow our community guidelines (no swearing, trolling, excessive use of Jerry Sloan’s name in vain, no personal attacks, no debates about Utah liquor laws, etc.). Remember to have fun. Anyone who dare blasphemes that Tim Duncan was a Power Forward (this means you, Pounding the Rock), Ben Simmons can hit threes, Gordon Hayward should not be booed, Exum Island isn’t a 5-Star resort, Donovan Mitchell is Monta Ellis 2.0, men should never cry or John Stockton is not the best point guard of all-time will receive an automatic ban. Just kidding. But seriously.<doc-sep>Jazz vs. Warriors Prediction Will the Golden State Warriors be able to soar past the Utah Jazz when the two meet up tonight at 10:30PM ET? Game Snapshot & Odds 577 Utah Jazz vs. 578 Golden State Warriors Tuesday, February 12, 2019 10:30PM ET – ORACLE Arena Compare odds and from multiple different online sportsbooks and shop for the best lines at our new NBA Odds & Betting Page. Public Betting Trends According to oddsmakers at BetNow.eu, the Warriors are the clear favorite at home, as they are getting odds of -9 points against the Jazz. The over/under total for the contest is listed at 226.5 points. The public betting for this game currently has 73 percent going on the Warriors at home. This information is subject to change, however, so be sure to check out our NBA Public Betting Page for updated figures on the game. Jazz heating up The Utah Jazz have won their last two and six of their last eight following a 125-105 win over the Spurs at home on Saturday. Utah is now 32-24 overall, 14-13 on the road, 28-26-2 against the spread and 28-27-1 with the over. The Jazz are one of the better defensive teams in the NBA, allowing just 105.8 points per game while allowing the second-fewest rebounds in the league. Offensively, Utah is putting up 109.2 points per game while shooting 46.1 percent from the field. Donovan Mitchell is leading Utah this season with 22.4 points per game while Rudy Gobert is adding 15.2 points and 12.8 rebounds per game. Warriors winning, not covering Golden State is coming off a narrow 120-118 win over Miami at home on Sunday. The Warriors have won four straight, but are just 1-4 against the spread in their last five games. Golden State is now 40-15 on the season, 21-7 at home, 24-30-1 against the spread and 30-25 with the over. No surprise, Golden State has the league’s best offense. The Warriors are putting up 119.1 points per game while shooting a league-best 49.3 percent from the field. Defensively, the Warriors are giving up 111.5 points per game while limiting opponents to 44.7 percent shooting. Stephen Curry is leading the team this season with 28.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game while Kevin Durant is adding 27.5 points, 7.1 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game. NBA Betting Trends Utah The Jazz have covered the spread in five straight against Pacific Division opponents, but are just 1-4-1 ATS in their last six games following a win of more than 10 points. Golden State The Warriors are just 4-12-1 against the spread in their last 17 home games and 8-18-1 ATS in their last 27 conference games. Prediction: When the Warriors are on their game, they can’t really be beaten by anyone consistently. However, some games they just don’t seem to care as much. They nearly lost to Miami at home and only won at Phoenix by 10. Utah has a good defense, but the Jazz aren’t a team that can really compete with Golden State’s offense. The Jazz lost their last road game by nearly 30 points and I can see more of that tonight. Golden State will be able to shoot well from the arc and Utah just won’t have the shooting to stay with them, especially in Oracle. NBA Prediction: Golden State Warriors -9<doc-sep>SALT LAKE CITY, UT - DECEMBER 19: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz eyes Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors in a NBA game at Vivint Smart Home Arena on December 19, 2018 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images) The upcoming battle against the Golden State Warriors will be a great measuring stick for the Utah Jazz as they aim to enter the All-Star break on a high note. As the All-Star break draws ever nearer, Utah Jazz fans have to be pretty happy with the way things are shaping up. After blowing out the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday to win the season series, the Jazz have climbed to sixth place in the Western Conference – just a half-game out of fifth and a game and a half out of fourth – with one of the easiest remaining schedules in the league. Not only that, but having surpassed the trade deadline with the team still intact (for better or for worse), the team should be focused and mentally poised to come together and go on a bit of a run, akin to what we saw a season ago, even if not quite as dramatic. The Jazz, perhaps most notably Ricky Rubio who was the center of a great deal of trade talk, looked out of sync in the days leading up to the deadline. They responded nicely in the win over the Spurs, though, so hopefully that performance was a sign of good things to come. They’ll be tested right away with a daunting matchup in their final contest before the All-Star break as they’ll head to Oakland to face the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday. Though it comes as little surprise, the Warriors have been on an absolute tear of late, winning 15 of their last 16 contests, many of which have come in statement fashion. Each of their trio of dominant stars, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson, seem to be hitting their stride and paving a path of perfection on the trail into the postseason. Therefore, the Jazz will be in for a tough contest on Tuesday in a game that will serve as a nice measuring stick in relation to how sound the Jazz truly are post-trade deadline, where they stand heading into the All-Star break, and how they’re able to compete against the championship favorites. This game will have an extra wrinkle due to the fact that Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala recently mocked Rudy Gobert on Twitter about his emotional reaction to missing the All-Star Game. Gobert subsequently clapped back hilariously at Green, leaving the next round of their back-and-forth to be settled on the court. https://twitter.com/TheJNotes/status/1091718602061897729 Rest assured that Green will jaw at Gobert and look to fluster him, and we could very well see a heated bout in that regard. However, angry Rudy is also a Rudy that shouldn’t be trifled with, as he solidly proved in Utah’s most recent contest. Facing LaMarcus Aldridge, who wrongly beat Gobert out of an All-Star spot, Rudy seemingly took his rage out on the Spurs star, putting up 21 points and 13 rebounds to Aldridge’s 15 and 10. Not only that, but despite Golden State’s hot play of late, the Jazz should be taking some confidence into this game. They’ve played the Warriors as well as anybody this season, defeating them in their last contest and losing only by a buzzer beater in the first contest after playing about the best half of basketball we’ve ever seen out of this Jazz squad. Of course, both those games were on Utah’s home court, which gave them a nice advantage, so it will be interesting to see if their swagger against the Dubs can carry over on the road. Unfortunately, I’m feeling less than optimistic. I have high hopes for how the remainder of the Jazz season is going to go and believe that 50 wins is still very much within their grasp. I also think we’ll see a spirited team hit its stride post-All-Star break now that the trade deadline has come and gone, their chemistry remains intact and the playoffs are clearly visible on the horizon. The @warriors are still going strong in our NBA Power Rankings 💪 pic.twitter.com/dx61IVBnaS — SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 11, 2019 That said, the Warriors have been playing at an other-worldly level of late. And particularly on their home floor where they have a reputation for dominating, I have a hard time seeing the Jazz getting this one done. Yes, they just took care of business against the Spurs, but prior to that, they were walloped by a pair of Western Conference playoff teams in the Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets. The Jazz have largely struggled against playoff-caliber teams, particularly of late, and Golden State is the most daunting of any of them. Make no mistake about it, Tuesday’s game will be a great measuring stick game for the Utah Jazz to see where they stack up against the reigning and favored NBA champions. Unfortunately, I’m projecting that said measurement will tell us what we likely already know. Despite several things looking Utah’s way to close the year, they simply come up a little short in comparison to Golden State. My Prediction: Warriors 122, Jazz 101<doc-sep>On Tuesday night, the Warriors played their penultimate game before the All-Star break as they welcomed the Utah Jazz into Oracle Arena. The Jazz are a team that has given the Warriors trouble this season, as they needed a last-second Jonas Jerebko tip-in to win one game and lost the other time the two teams met. The game was a back-and-forth affair, neither team able to seize control for very long, giving the game a certain playoff-like atmosphere. But the Warriors outscored the Jazz by ten points in the fourth quarter to pick up the 115-108 victory. All-Stars shine in the fourth At the end of the third quarter, the Warriors trailed the Jazz by three points. Though they’d held an eleven-point lead in the first half, the Warriors couldn’t overcome more early-game shooting woes to stay in front of the Jazz. But in the fourth quarter, the Warriors came alive and pulled away from the Jazz on their way to a victory. In that fourth quarter, it was the Warriors’ three All-Stars leading the way. Klay Thompson, playing with a sprained left ring finger, scored 11 of his 22 points in the fourth while going 2/2 from three-point range. Thompson’s defense throughout the game was outstanding as well, as he did the best job dealing with the Jazz’s Donovan Mitchell. Mitchell scored 25 points on Tuesday night, but those points were considerably more difficult to earn when he was being guarded by Thompson. Thompson’s fellow All-Star and Splash Brother Stephen Curry also saved his best basketball for the fourth quarter. It was another game in which Curry struggled early, scoring 16 points and shooting 5/14 from the field, going 3/11 from long distance. But when the game was on the line, Curry came through with the big plays. Curry scored 8 of his 24 points in the fourth, going 2⁄ 3 from three-point range in the fourth. One of those three-point makes came on this shot, one that had Curry celebrating as he put the Warriors up by 8 points. Steph is FIRED UP pic.twitter.com/1hrGv7FgdW — Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) February 13, 2019 Curry scored all 8 of his fourth-quarter points during a 17-2 run that saw the Warriors turn a five-point deficit into a ten-point lead. While Curry struggled for the first three quarters before turning it on in the fourth, Kevin Durant was consistent once again on Tuesday night. Durant scored 28 points against the Jazz while also handing out 7 assists. It was Durant’s 23rd game this season with 7+ assists (he had just 20 of those games during the entire 2017-18 regular season). Durant did have another sub-par game from three-point range, going 1/6 from long distance on Tuesday night. But just like he did against the Heat, Durant saved that one three-point make for an opportune moment. With Joe Ingles guarding him, Durant buried this strike from beyond the arc with just over a minute left to go in the game that effectively ended things. One would like to see the Warriors play a more consistent game and not need these kinds of late-game surges to pick up wins. But that said, it is a good sign that the Warriors can close out games like this and that their best players know how to be at their best when the game is on the line. Dubs defense drowns out the Jazz But it wasn’t just the offense that picked up in the fourth quarter. The Warriors defense, specifically the play of their two big men in DeMarcus Cousins and Draymond Green, was excellent as they had to contend with the challenging Jazz frontcourt of Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors. Cousins showed some of his rust, whether by missing shots (Cousins went 4/17 from the field against the Jazz) or not being able to slow down Gobert early in the game. But Cousins’ play in the fourth quarter was much closer to what we’ve seen from the veteran big man throughout his NBA career. More important than the 5 points he scored in that final frame, Cousins grabbed 4 of his 10 rebounds in the fourth all while dealing with the size and physicality that the Jazz can throw at you. Cousins was a +11 in that final quarter, one where the Warriors outscored the Jazz by 10 points. Cousins also helped to hold Gobert scoreless in the fourth as the Jazz’s big man posted a +/- of -10 in the fourth quarter. Much like the Heat game, Cousins might be having a tough game, but he's coming up big when it matters most. — Connor Letourneau (@Con_Chron) February 13, 2019 But it wasn’t Cousins who provided the Warriors with their defensive intensity in the fourth quarter. Green, obviously relishing getting to play against the reigning Defensive Player of the Year in Gobert, showed why he’s one of the best defensive players in the league. Draymond Green having an awesome defensive night with Rudy Gobert in the building. Shocker. — Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 13, 2019 In that fourth quarter, Green’s energy on defense was turned all the way up as he tried to single-handedly snuff out the limited sparks of the Jazz’s offensive game. Draymond Green is doing Defensive Player of the Year stuff tonight pic.twitter.com/0G24lOQRzK — Drew Shiller (@DrewShiller) February 13, 2019 After the game, Curry talked about Green’s defense and the role it plays in this team’s success. Stephen Curry on Draymond Green’s defense: “Making winning plays” pic.twitter.com/qJRDIzjc6B — Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) February 13, 2019 Iguodala steadies the ship once again You knew this truly was a game with a playoff vibe to it because Andre Iguodala played an important role. Against the Jazz, Iguodala scored 13 points, his third game scoring in double figures in his last four. In addition to those 13 points, Iguodala also had 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals in just under 30 minutes of action. Facing off against a tough Jazz team that played with a postseason-like intensity, having Iguodala on the floor to keep the Warriors steady and focused gave them an enormous advantage.<doc-sep>
After rolling over a couple of softer opponents, the Golden State Warriors juggernaut is finally in for a real test. The Utah Jazz may be the 6th seed right now, but they came into the season forecast as one of the best teams in the West and have won 12 of their last 15 games. The Warriors have lost just once since adding Demarcus Cousins, and regardless of the outcome, this matchup against the strong interior defense of Rudy Gobert should be fun. Game Details WHO: Golden State Warrior (40 - 15) vs. Utah Jazz (32 - 24) WHEN: Tuesday February 12, 2019; 7:30 pm WHERE: Oracle Arena -- Oakland, CA WATCH: TNT, NBCSBA (?) RADIO: 95.7 the game Jazz are on a roll As the dust settled after a raucous trade deadline period, the Utah Jazz stood pat. Though they were heavily rumored to be be chasing the Memphis Grizzlies' Mike Conley, the team decided that it wasn’t going to be worth the cost. Their patience in choosing established chemistry and roster seems to have been well placed as the team rides high into their final game before the All Star break. After some early season struggles, the Jazz are back on track to being one of the best teams in the West. Rudy Gobert made some headlines recently after an emotional outburst over the fact the he was not selected to the NBA All Star team. But the fact of the matter is, he was definitely snubbed. It’s no coincidence that Utah’s early struggles coincided with Gobert’s injury. He’s back now, and the Jazz are looking good. Also recovered from early season malaise -- sophomore guard Donovan Mitchell is back. He struggled mightily with his shot earlier in the year but has brought his efficiency back in line with where it was last season. He’s dropping 22 points per game, up from around 20 last year. His scoring efficiency is down a bit (.518 TS% as opposed to .541 last season) but he’s climbed back into a respectable sniffing distance of his excellent rookie year. Rounding out the mix, Utah is getting good stuff out of veterans Ricky Rubio, Derek Favors and yes even Joe Ingles. Rubio never lived up to his hype but is probably playing the best ball of his extremely solid career right now. Warriors have been surviving on talent, not execution - and they’ll want to clean that up before heading into the break “That’s the second game in a row the team has got up 20 more shots than us,” Durant said after Sunday night’s win over the Miami Heat. “Whether it’s turnovers or offensive rebounds, we are going to lose in the playoffs like that.” Against teams like the Suns and Heat, the Warriors were able to get away with it, but mistakes and poor rebounding could easily doom them against higher tier teams like the Jazz. The Warriors are 15th in defensive rebounding percentage and 20th in offensive rebounding, according to NBA.com. Utah is the third best overall team when it comes to rebounds and has definitely noticed the Warriors’ shortcomings in this regard. But, Golden State does have the talent to overcome rebounding, turnovers, you name it. This is an all-time great team that is simply tuning their machine up before the “real” season starts in April. Speaking of talent, Klay Thompson is back and he’s tearing up the shooting charts recently. Klay Thompson is 66-of-131 from 3 since the calendar turned to 2019, better than 50%. That's dragged his season percentage all the way up to 39.5%. https://t.co/YnS3zPP7yO — Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 11, 2019 Prediction The Warriors can’t stop, won’t stop. Warriors by five.