Utah Jazz (29-30) @ Sacramento Kings (42-14) When: Friday 27 10:00PM (ET) Where: Arco Arena TV: KJZZ (Local), NBALP (National) <u>Standings</u> Jazz: 10th Western Conference (.492) Kings: 1st Western Conference (.750) Jazz road record: 9-20 Kings home record: 25-4 <u>Probable Starting Lineups</u> Jazz / Kings PG: Carlos Arroyo / Mike Bibby SG: Aleksandar Pavlovic / Doug Christie SF: Andrei Kirilenko / Peja Stojakovic PF: Michael Ruffin / Darius Songaila C: Jarron Collins / Vlade Divac Coach: Jerry Sloan / Rick Adelman <u>Key Bench Players</u> Jazz: Raul Lopez, Gordan Giricek, Greg Ostertag Kings: Anthony Peeler, Gerald Wallace, Tony Massenburg <u>Injuries</u> Jazz: Curtis Borchardt, Matt Harpring Kings: Chris Webber, Brad Miller, Bobby Jackson <u>Keys to the game</u> Jazz 1. Stop the 3's. The Kings beat the Lakers with 3 pointer after 3 pointer in their last game from Mike Bibby and Peja. Utah needs to stop both of them from 3. Andrei should be able to contain Peja with a height advantage and his versatility. Arroyo should play nose to nose defense with Bibby. 2. Vlade Divac. He got 10 assists in his last game and is playing like a point guard. Utah has to make him play like a centre and not let him get the ball to the Kings' 3 point shooters. Kings 1. Force someone else to step up. Andrei almost always delivers, the rest of the Jazz team don't. Sacramento must do whatever they can to get Andrei to pass it, even if it's double him. 2. Utah's shot selection. Utah aren't the best shooting team in the League, and win game from controlling the rebounds. If the Kings can force Utah into bad shots, it should be another easy win. <font color="Orange">Key Matchup: SF:</font> Andrei Kirilenko vs. Peja Stojakovic <font color="Blue">Prediction</font>: To many stats against the Jazz in this one, they'll have to play some really good basketball if they are to win this one which I don't think will happen. Kings by 8.
Peja's alraeady 2-2 from 3 at the end of the 1st. Everything's going right for the Kings and they're up 22-14. Utah has to pick up the defense.
Utah have a lead, 43-42 start of the 3rd. The D has picked up, but their still sturggling on offense.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting cArMeLo15:</div><div class="quote_post">The Kings better win.</div> The Kings better not win. The Jazz need the win more. sob. Sides, the Kings are already elite in the standings.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Purple N Gold:</div><div class="quote_post">How the hell are the Jazz about to pull this off? Just goes to show... Defense = Wins Games.</div> If the Lakers had played anywhere as good as defense as the Jazz did, they would have won too.
Finally, the Jazz cracked 100 points. They were on a 25 game under 100 points streakand were 12-13 in that streak. While I'm on the subject of points, the Jazz surpassed 250,000 points as a franchise tonight. But onto the game, Sloan showed his COY credentials again by putting trust in Mo Williams late in the game, he did it with Ben Handlogten against the Lakers a while back, but Utah didn't win but Handlogten played awesome. AK had another All Star game, and Utah won the rebounding battle 53-43. Gugliotta started over Ruffin again, and Ruffin played, and Googs got 5 rebounds and 4 points in 18 minutes. Gordan Giricek still isn't firing, but he actually made a shot in this one, 3 to be precise. I'd like to see Tag start again, but he's playing awesome off the bench and outperforming the starter in Jarron Collins. Utah have got a break till Monday, when they play the Pistons at home. They'll need to be ready for that one and it's another important game.
