Feb 27, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Bojan Bogdanovic (44) drives to the hoop against Utah Jazz forward Derrick Favors (15) and guard Raul Neto (25) in the third quarter at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
The Brooklyn Nets look to start off 2017 on the right foot as they host the Utah Jazz back at home.
Happy New Year, Nets fans! Tonight, the Brooklyn Nets take their first shot at making 2017 better than 2016 was, as they play host to the Jazz.
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The 2016 portion of the season was certainly one the Nets want to forget about – they posted an 8-24 record – good for last in the Eastern Conference – and have struggled as starting point guard Jeremy Lin has had troubles staying healthy.
But luckily for the Nets, the new year brings a fresh start to the Brooklyn squad. The Jazz, however, have plans to spoil the new year for the Nets.
Utah has had an impressive season to this point. They’re 21-13, which puts them at fourth in the Western Conference, and they are holding their opponents to an NBA-low 94.7 points per game.
The matchup between the two teams is the first of two this season. The last time they faced off was in February 2016, when the Nets snuck out in a two-point victory.
Feb 27, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz forward Chris Johnson (23) takes a shot against Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) in the fourth quarter at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The Brooklyn Nets defeated the Utah Jazz 98-96. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
Keys to the game
Score, score, score
Here’s a list of the opponents’ points scored in the last four Jazz losses: 104, 94, 104, 106 – and two of those scores were posted by the Golden State Warriors.
With that being said, it’s evident that an offensive mirage is usually not needed to defeat the Jazz. Heck, even the Golden State Warriors, the highest scoring team in the NBA, won twice without topping 110.
MUST READ: Nets’ Top 10 Moments of 2016
So even though a strong defensive performance would be a key to the game in most cases, in the Nets’ case, a strong offensive performance might be what gets the job done.
As we all know, the Nets have been playing poor defense all season. Their offense, on the other hand, hasn’t been nearly as terrible, and has been far more consistent.
It seems that all the Nets need to do to win this one is to just score at will. Again, the Jazz are certainly one of the better defenses in the league, but it’s more likely that the Nets will score a lot of points than they’ll be able to lock down the Jazz (which still shouldn’t be too much of an issue).
I think that 110 or-so points will win this game for the Nets, considering the Jazz only scored more than that once since December 2. The only question is whether or not they can get there.
Solid showing from Sean Kilpatrick
I tweeted this earlier in the week – Sean Kilpatrick has been a big X-Factor for the Nets.
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In wins, Kilpatrick averages 22.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game on 50.8 percent shooting.
In losses, he averages 13.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game on 39.8 percent shooting.
Clearly, there’s some correlation between Kilpatrick’s play and whether the Nets win or lose. So if Kilpatrick can play well in this one, history shows that the Nets have good odds to win the game.
Players to Watch:
Sean Kilpatrick (G) – 15.5 points per game, 3.7 rebounds per game this season
Gordon Hayward (F) – 22.1 points per game, 6.3 rebounds per game this season
Mar 8, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) and Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) take the opening tip off during the first quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Projected Starters
Nets:
Jazz:
Injuries
Nets:
Jazz:
Key Matchup
Sean Kilpatrick vs. Rodney Hood
These are two very similar players, and they are both guys that can be considered X-Factors for their team on a game-to-game basis. It’ll be fun to see these guys go head-to-head, and don’t be surprised if one of these two ends up being the reason his respective team won. Keep an eye on them in this one.
Other Notes
The game will be broadcasted on YES Network at 7:30 PM EST on YES. Join the conversation by tweeting @NetsBlogFS.
