Jazz Look For 10th Straight Win At Home Against Celtics

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Utah Jazz return home after a three-game road trip to face the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night.

The Jazz are the hottest team in the NBA having won 15 of their last 16 games, including their perfect 3-0 trip through Atlanta, Charlotte, and Indiana over the weekend.

The Celtics meanwhile have lost four of their last six outings, including a loss Sunday to the Phoenix Suns in the fourth stop of their five-game west coast road trip.

How have the @UtahJazz become the best team in the NBA?

A quick look at the last 16 games, what stood out about each performance, what trends have emerged, and the Jazz surprising versatility. #TakeNote https://t.co/CMqdpIdCct

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) February 8, 2021

Jazz Look To Stay Hot At Home

The Jazz will look to extend their home winning streak to 10 when host Boston on TNT. The team lost their first two home games of the season but have rattled off nine straight as part of their recent streak of games that has propelled them to the top record in the NBA.

The Jazz beat the Pacers in a tough matinee game on Sunday without the services of Mike Conley, who will miss his second straight game on Tuesday night with a hamstring injury.

Donovan Mitchell nearly recorded a triple-double in the Jazz latest win, scoring 27 points, handing out 11 assists, while grabbing nine rebounds as the Jazz emerged with 103-95 victory.

Can the best team in the NBA have a season changing win?

The @utahjazz might have done exactly that against the @Pacers thanks Donovan Mitchell's superhero effort. #TakeNote https://t.co/f9lHNusOhG

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) February 7, 2021

The Jazz were noticeably exhausted against Indiana, shooting just 41 percent from the floor and 31 percent from three, but were bolstered by their defense which held the Pacers to 39 percent from the floor and 27 percent from three.

The game against Boston is the first in a four-game homestand for the Jazz.

Boston Looks To Salvage Road Trip

The Celtics are looking to return to Boston after a five-game road trip with a winning record. The team is 2-2 through the first four games against the West, with wins over the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers, and losses to the Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns.

Boston has had a disappointing start to the season with a record of 12-10, but has been bitten hard by the injury bug.

#NEBHInjuryReport for tomorrow C’s Utah:

Jaylen Brown (left knee soreness) – QUESTIONABLE
Romeo Langford (right wrist surgery rehab) – OUT
Marcus Smart (left calf tear) – OUT

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 8, 2021

Point guard Kemba Walker missed the first 11 games of the season with a knee injury, while Jayson Tatum missed five games due to the NBA’s COVID-19 tracing protocol.

Guard Marcus Smart has missed the team’s last four games and will be unavailable against the Jazz while Jaylen Brown has missed the team’s last two games with a knee injury.

Brown will undergo a light workout before the matchup with the Jazz to test his knee.

Key Matchup

Tuesday’s key matchup will pit Tatum against Jazz forward Bojan Bogdanovic. The Celtics forward is averaging a career-high 27 points per game this season and is shooting 46 percent from the floor and 39 percent from three since returning from COVID-19 protocol.

JT in his bag 😏

RT to vote for @jaytatum0 #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/tVh4n0QSRA

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 6, 2021

Bogdanovic meanwhile has seen a massive jump in play over the Jazz last six games. After a slow start to the season, the Croatian sharpshooter is averaging 24.8 points per game while shooting 56 percent from the floor and 55 percent from three.

While Royce O’Neale will likely be tasked with defending the Celtics star for much of the game, Tatum has the type of length and quickness that has traditionally bothered Bogdanovic during his Jazz career.

Broadcast

The Jazz and Celtics will tip-off at 8 pm MST, the game will be broadcast on TNT.