GAME PREVIEW: Jazz at Bobcats

CHARLOTTE -- The Jazz may not have been able to get past the Hawks in Atlanta Friday, but their road trip isn't over yet.

With three games left on the road before they return to Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City, the Jazz (15-11) will try to get what records indicate should be a simple win over the Charlotte Bobcats Saturday.

Both teams are coming off losses, but Utah can certainly claim the nastier defeat. Before losing by 13 to the Hawks Friday, the Jazz went down by as much as 32 points, after hanging with the No. 2 team in the Eastern Conference for the first quarter and a half.

Opposite to how the Jazz lost, the Bobcats (10-14) first quarter performance was what ended up sealing their 98-101 loss to Indiana.

Game 27
Utah Jazz (15-11)
at Charlotte Bobcats (10-14)
Date: Saturday December 19, 2009
Time: 5:00 p.m. MT
Site: Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, NC
TV: FSN Utah : Comcast - Ch. 52 (HD Ch. 693); DIRECTV - Ch. 684 (HD Ch. 684-1); DISH - Ch. 445 (HD Ch. 9515)
Radio: 1320 AM KFAN or 98.7 FM
Season Series Record: First meeting
Last Season Series Record: Jazz 1, Bobcats 1
Last Meeting: 2/2/2009 - Jazz 105, Bobcats 86

KSL takes a look back and ahead as we prep for the game against the Bobcats.

What did we learn about the Jazz against the Atlanta Hawks?

• Against the No. 2 team in the Eastern Conference, less than 20 points per quarter in three of four quarters isn't likely going to be enough to get the win. Especially when that team is trying to extend a five-game winning streak and close out a three-game home run with a dominant win.
• The Hawks stopped Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams at six and four points, respectively, after tallying big double-doubles just one night prior. The Jazz have got to find ways to maintain productivity on the road, even if their starters aren't doing the job.
• A loss is a loss, but the final 96-83 score was not at all indicative of how big a blowout the game actually was. If it weren't for the Jazz bench in the fourth quarter, Utah would have been sent out of Atlanta with an even worse deficit to think about on the ride to Charlotte.

What can the Jazz expect from the Bobcats?

• Charlotte, like the Jazz, haven't had much success on the road (1-12), but, also like the Jazz, they've got a good home record and are going to do all they can to get their wins there if they can't get them anywhere else. They've won six of their last seven games at home.
• The Bobcats learned a tough lesson last night going down by double-digits after the first quarter. However, at home in the Time Warner Cable Arena it's sure to be a different kind of game, and the Jazz need to come just as hungry as the Bobcats if they intend on putting Friday night's game behind them.

Probable Jazz starting lineup

• C - Mehmet Okur, 6-11, 273 lbs., Turkey
• PF - Carlos Boozer, 6-9, 260 lbs., Duke
• SF - Ronnie Brewer, 6-7, 236 lbs., Arkansas
• SG - Wesley Matthews, 6-5, 224 lbs., Marquette
• PG - Deron Williams, 6-3, 207 lbs., Illinois

Probable Bobcats starting lineup

• C - Tyson Chandler, 7-1, 235 lbs., Dominquez HS
• PF - Boris Diaw, 6-8, 235 lbs., France
• SF - Gerald Wallace, 6-7, 220 lbs., Alabama
• SG - Stephen Jackson, 6-8, 215 lbs., Butler County CC (KS)
• PG - Raymond Felton, 6-1, 198 lbs., North Carolina

Bobcats leaders

Stephen Jackson, 18.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg / Gerald Wallace, 17.2 ppg, 12.0 rpg

Jazz Injury Updates

• Matt Harpring - (knee) Out for season

Bobcats Injury Updates

• No injuries reported

Conclusion

In an interview after last night's game, head coach Jerry Sloan said the test of who a team really is is how they bounce back from a loss like the one the Jazz suffered Friday in Atlanta.

Utah has had to play this type of game one too many times already in the season, but overcoming the big defeat by winning a game on the road could give the Jazz some confidence in their games against Orlando and Miami that will close out their five-game stretch away from home.

Related topics