Game Preview: Jazz v Trail Blazers

The Portland Trail Blazers travel to Salt Lake City to play the Utah Jazz at
Vivint Smart Home Arena on Wednesday. The Trail Blazers (23-32) were the first
ones to pull a trigger before the trade deadline, as they shipped Mason Plumlee
to Denver in exchange for Jusuf Nurkic and a first-round pick. The departure of
Plumlee is a surprising one as well, with Plumlee developing into one of the
most versatile centers in the league this season. That’s a void that will be
hard to fill and fans will be interested to see what Nurkic can bring to the
table. Nurkic showed some promise in Denver, but he mixed that with
inconsistency and an attitude that sent him packing. This could be the type of
thing that motivates him though, as he’ll seemingly take the starting center job
and will be looking at a career-high in minutes. What they really need from him
is a defensive presence down low, as Portland have been killed by big men all
season long. The Jazz (32-22) come into this matchup in the midst of a
three-game losing streak at a rather bizarre time. Utah had won 11 of their
previous 14 games, as they looked like one of the most dangerous bunches in the
west. The 94 points per game in this three-game skid shows the one major issue
with this team, as Utah ranks 26th in scoring. The offensive numbers look better
when considering the defense though, with the Jazz ranking third in defensive
efficiency and number-one in points allowed. As long as they can maintain that
stifling defense, the Jazz will be a team no one wants to face come April and
May.