Here are five things to watch out for when the Boston Celtics and the Utah Jazz meet at 10:30 p.m. tonight at Vivint Smart Home Arena.
There were no new faces added to the Celtics’ roster at the trade deadline yesterday, but one face that you will not see in Salt Lake City tonight will be Kelly Olynyk’s.
The big man injured his right shoulder against the Clippers during the final game before the All-Star break, and President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge estimated yesterday that he could be sidelined for “the next couple of weeks.”
“Right now it’s still sore and bothering him, and we don’t need any surgery or [have] any long-term fears for him,” said Ainge. “But right now it’s a short-term ailment that will keep him on the sidelines.”
Olynyk’s injury could pave the way for some playing time for Jordan Mickey, who was recalled from the Maine Red Claws Thursday. The rookie big has averaged 17.1 points, 10.4 rebounds and a D-League-high 4.6 blocks with the Red Claws this season.
There should be a lot of pressure on Boston’s bigs tonight as they go up against one of the top rebounding frontcourt tandems in the league.
Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors are averaging a combined 18.9 RPG per game, and are particularly effective on the offensive glass. They combine to average 6.1 offensive RPG and are the only teammates in the league that rank in the top 10 in second chance PPG.
The Celtics, meanwhile, have struggled in that department lately, having allowed a league-high 15.9 second chance PPG over their last 15 contests.
The C’s and Jazz have two very dissimilar styles of play, as evidenced by their massive difference in pace.
Boston averages 101.31 possessions per game, which ranks third in the league behind Sacramento and Golden State. Utah, on the other hand, averages a league-low 93.07 possessions per game.
Utah’s slower pace has limited opponents to a league-low 78.8 field goals attempts per game, so it should be interesting to see if it can slow down Boston, which averages an NBA-high 89.5 shot attempts per game.
One area where the C’s should avoid attempting shots is at the rim, at least when Utah’s 7-foot-1 “Stifle Tower” is in the game.
Gobert averages 2.4 blocks per game and defends opponents at the rim at the most efficient rate in the NBA. Foes attempt an average of 9.0 shots at the rim against the 23-year-old Frenchman, but only make 3.7 of them for a league-low 40.7 percent clip.
Having the best rim protector in the league has helped Utah hold opponents to just 96.5 points per game this season, which ranks behind only San Antonio (92.0) and Miami (96.3).
Lately, Utah’s defense has been at a level far beyond any team in the league, having surrendered more than 100 points just twice during its last 11 games. It has allowed just 92.1 PPG during that span, which is six points lower than any other squad in the NBA.
Utah’s exceptional defense was not on display last night, when it lost 103-89 in Washington. The Wizards shot 42-of-86 from the field (48.8 percent), and handed Utah its worst defeat of the season to an Eastern Conference opponent.
The Jazz made the 2,000-mile trek back home following the game, and will be met tonight by a Celtics team that has not played since Feb. 10.
Boston should have plenty of energy to take advantage of Utah’s short rest, and its offense should come out attacking just like Washington’s did last night.
