Jazz Face Tough Test In Red Hot Celtics
Mar 23, 2022, 1:20 PM
Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36) is fouled by Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) during the fourth quarter. The Boston Celtics host the Utah Jazz in a regular season NBA basketball game at TD Garden in Boston on March 6, 2020. (Photo by Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
(Photo by Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Jazz will face one of their toughest tests of the season when they travel to Boston to match up with the red hot Celtics.
Boston has won 22 of their last 26 games dating back to January 23 after a slow start to the season.
The Jazz meanwhile will look to get back to their winning ways after falling to the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night.
Jazz Still Shorthanded On Road Trip
Though Bojan Bogdanovic and Danuel House Jr. are both traveling with the Jazz, neither player has made an appearance on the team’s current six-game road trip.
Bogdanovic has missed the Jazz last five games with a calf strain and has been ruled out Wednesday’s game against Boston.
House Jr. suffered a knee bruise in the Jazz loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on March 14 and hasn’t appeared in the last four games.
The @utahjazz remain shorthanded tomorrow when they face the @celtics. #TakeNote | @kslsports
OUT – Udoka Azubuike- (Right Ankle Sprain)
OUT – Bojan Bogdanovic (Left Calf Strain)
OUT – Danuel House (Left Knee Bone Bruise)
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) March 22, 2022
Between the two players, the Jazz are missing key depth on the wing and two valuable floor spacing scorers.
Bogdanovic is the Jazz’s second-leading scorer at 18.1 points per game while shooting 39 percent from the three-point line.
House Jr. is averaging just 6.5 points per game but leads the team in three-point shooting at 44 percent.
The Jazz have offered no timeline on when either player might return.
Celtics Are NBA’s Hottest Team
Exactly two months ago, the Celtics sat at an even 24-24 on the season and in the eighth seed of the Eastern Conference.
But over the last two months, Boston has become nearly unbeatable winning 22 of their last 26 games while owning the league’s best net rating by a significant margin.
TONIGHT ☘️ Celtics vs @utahjazz
⏰ 7:30PM
📺 @NBCSBoston
🎙 @985TheSportsHub
Small Business of the Game: https://t.co/NxDrgVSNK9#BleedGreen pic.twitter.com/50x1fVx7B7— Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 23, 2022
The Celtics are outscoring their opponents by an average of 15.1 points per game, and 15.8 points per 100 possessions. The next closest is the league-leading Phoenix Suns who own a net rating of 9.8 during the stretch.
Boston’s offensive rating of 118.7 ranks third best during the stretch, while their 102.9 defensive rating is tops in the league, nearly five points better than the second-ranked Miami Heat.
The Celtics own the fourth-best record in the East but are just 2.5 games out of top spot in the conference.
Broadcast
The Jazz and Celtics will tip-off at 5:30 pm MT and can be heard on The Zone Sports Network. The game will be televised on AT&T SportsNet and FuboTV.
