vs. 
Utah Jazz (42-26, 13-20 road) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (19-49, 14-21 home)
TV: FS Oklahoma (Cox 37)
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM)
Time: 7:00 CST
Offensive Rating: Thunder: 103.4 (28th), Utah: 110.3 (6th)
Defensive Rating: Thunder: 109.2 (20th), Utah: 106.5 (9th)
Pace:Thunder: 93.6 (8th), Utah: 92.6 (10th)
Remember what happened the last time the Jazz were here? OKC pounded them by 21 prompting the Salt Lake Tribune’s beat writer to pen this oh so hilarious lead: “Because there’s nothing to do in Oklahoma City, the Jazz had no excuse for not showing up Wednesday night against the Thunder and suffering a 114-93 humiliation at the hands of the NBA’s worst team.” I remember laughing at that. How clever.
Suffice to say, it would be fun to win again. Maybe ol’ Ross Siler could write something like, “The Jazz didn’t play well in Oklahoma City again – and they should have, because OKC is boring. See, because there’s nothing to do in that city. Except ride horses and pitch horseshoes. Which is exactly what Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer were seen doing before the game. Maybe that’s why they lost.” But the thing is, it’s not a stretch for the Thunder to do it. For whatever reason, a team as solid as Utah is top to bottom, they are very much below average on the road. They’re 29-6 at home, but just 13-20 on the road. They average two points less a game, three percent lower from the field, eight percent lower from three and turn it over two more times away from SLC.
And surely after a semi-disappointing loss against Chicago, OKC will come out ready to play for this one. The defense wasn’t good, the rebounding was worse and the Thunder just didn’t play well at all in the second half. But Utah is a very good squad and so it’s not like we should have expectations of a win. And they need every win they can get as they’ve lost three of four and seem to be slipping a bit in the Western playoff standings. So add that to what the Thunder did to them last time they were here and it’s unlikely the Jazz don’t come out ready to play.
There is one striking difference from the last two times these teams have played and that is that Carlos Boozer is back. The only time he played against OKC this year he scored 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds. He adds so much to the Jazz’s offensive game that he can open the world up for Williams and outside shooters like Kyle Korver and Mehmet Okur. The Jazz are tough to match up against because they are solid across the board. The Thunder really doesn’t have an answer for Boozer as Jeff Green probably isn’t strong enough to handle Boozer’s inside/outside game.
Here’s another game for Russell Westbrook to take out pen and paper and watch an opposing point guard closely. Deron Williams’ game is similar to Westbrook’s best nights – slashing, driving to the hoop and creating opportunities while also having the ability to knock down open jumpers. Westbrook has the edge on Williams quickness-wise, but Williams is so fundamentally sound that he’s going to get his. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Thabo guard him for extended minutes.
So maybe pull away from the Madness for an hour or two and check in on the Thunder tonight. Tip is at 7:00 CST. Go Royce’s Bracket.
@Keith
nice spin on the Boozer/Millsap drama. That would workout well for us . . .
Brooks should have shown alot more fire against those refs tonight...They pulled at least a 10pt swing on their offensive foul calls...
Tonight was the night he should have been thrown out...
Guess they stayed away from the horses this time.
The more I watch him, the more I'm sure the Thunder should make play for Paul Millsap this offseason. Boozer probably isn't very keen on opting out now (injuries and economy have lowered his value) and it's going to force Utah to likely do a sign and trade for Millsap. The Thunder can sign him to a reasonably generous offer sheet, let the Jazz match it, then trade him back for picks or expiring contracts. Millsap is better and younger than Boozer, and could be the PF of this team for the next decade. Jeff on the bench could go a long way towards giving this team solid backup minutes at the 3 and 4 as well (future sixth man of the year?).
We match up well until the frountcourt. Boozer/Millsap can push Green around Okur is essentially a better version of Krstic. I hope we execute and bring our A game on defense, but Utah should win this one as they have a whole heck of a lot more to play for.
Prior to the Chicago game, we hadn't really sucked at home in a while. Hopefully it was an aberration and we kick some serious butt. The home crowd really makes a difference. Our defensive efficiency is 4 points better at home than on the road.
Go Blue!
If the Jazz are focused, they win. They're the better team, with a much better bench, and a heck of a lot more to play for.
Fortunately for us, we match up well with their size inside, but Utah usually keeps the rebounding at 50/50 when they play us, and they usually take points in the paint by a decent margin.
The Jazz would beat us handily in Utah, but I think we'll keep it closer at home, though I don't expect to win. The only wildcard is how upset the Thunder are that they gave such a poor defensive performance (outside Thabo) against the Bulls. If they're upset and ready to come back and focus on defense, they may just pull this one off.
Utah REALLY needs this game but I look for the Thunder to give them a tough game as they have been playing well over the last few weeks. I expect Okur to have a big game though and get the Jazz out with a victory.