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ATLANTA — Say hello to the NBA’s hottest team.
The Jazz, winners of six straight games, are officially in the mix, having leaped to the seventh spot in the Western Conference playoff standings by virtue of a 121-102 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Friday.
Of their now six consecutive victories, Friday’s trouncing of the Nuggets was by far the easiest for the Jazz, who gained control in the second quarter and never looked back. Utah led by as many as 27 at one point. In their previous five games, the Jazz played in two overtime contests, had a one-point game, a four-point game, and all of the margins of victory were less than 10 points.
The blowout victory over the Nuggets gave Utah the tie- breaker over its division rival, which could be critical if the teams finish with identical records at the end of the season.
Seven players scored in double figures for the Jazz as they made short work of their neighbors on the other side of the Rockies. Al Jefferson led the team in scoring with 23 points. Alec Burks and Gordon Hayward added 15 apiece, while Millsap added 14 points. Devin Harris scored 13 points, and C.J. Miles and Derek Favors each added 12.
Jefferson said that without a marquee player, the Jazz need to play as a team
"There aren't any superstars on this team," Jefferson said to the Associated Press. “So, we're going to have to play together every night — night in, night out — for us to try and have some success."
The Jazz (26-22) face an Atlanta Hawks team (29-20) tonight that is also on a bit of a streak.
The Hawks, who are seeded sixth in the Eastern Conference, have won three straight — their most recent victory coming against the Wizards in D.C. on Saturday. In that game, Atlanta trailed by as many as 16 points in the fourth quarter but rallied behind the hot hand of forward Josh Smith, who scored nine of his 16 points in the fourth, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with less than a minute remaining.
Hawks coach Larry Drew said his team keeps playing hard, regardless of the circumstances.
“I know some guys were tired, some guys were a little banged up, and we were basically playing catch-up the whole game, and in that fourth quarter we were able to get over the hump,” Drew said to the Associated Press “We don’t panic, and that’s a sure sign of a veteran team.”
For Atlanta, tonight’s game against the Jazz is the finale of the dreaded back-to-back-to-back set that all NBA teams are scheduled to endure during this lockout- truncated season.
Tonight’s meeting between the Jazz and Hawks will be the only meeting between the two teams this season.
Johnson leads the Hawks in scoring at 19 points per game. Josh Smith is second at 18.1 points per contest.
The Hawks are 15-7 at home this season while the Jazz are 7-16 on the road. Utah has won two straight on the road, however.
The game takes place at 4 p.m. at Phillips Arena in Atlanta and will be televised on Root Sports.
Jarrod is a freelance writer who writes Jazz previews for KSL.com You can follow Jarrod Hiatt on Twitter at @jarrodhiatt.
