NBA Regular Season 2012-2013: Utah Jazz (18-18) at Charlotte Bobcats (9-24) -- Game 37

NBA Regular Season 2012-2013, Game 37:

Utah Jazz (18-18) @ Charlotte Bobcats (9-24)

#UTAatCHA Game Stream -- Rufus on Fire -- Jazz vs Bobcats coverage

Never sleep on a Bobcat. It could be a trap.

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The Basics:

Tonight the Jazz face a club that hasn't won at home since November 21st. The Bobcats are 2-8 in their last 10, with their last game, an overtime victory against the Detroit Pistons in my neck of the woods, being something to celebrate. They haven't played since the 6th, so they've had time to savor this feeling as they look for the start of a winning streak. It does not look likely as the Bobcats are only 5-13 at home. We're a much better looking 7-14 on the road. Charlotte is a bad team, we're a .500 team, and we should win tonight. Even if we're 4-6 in our last 10 and without two starters in Mo Williams and Marvin Williams.

Our very own Clark will be at tonight's game. So we BETTER win!

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The always amazing Media Notes produced by the Utah Jazz:

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History:

We're handling Charlotte, as we're 10-5 all time against them, and we're winning the road matchup as well, we're 5-3 in their gym. Utah has won six games in a row, and according to the research department of the Utah Jazz, our last loss was December 19th, 2007. Last season Big Al had 30+ points against the Bobcats. I hope he does this again.

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Scouting, Stats, and Stereotypes:

Did you know that the Bobcats have gone to the FT line the 6th most in the NBA this year? Well, now you do. They are also #4 in the NBA in FT/FGA ratio. By those same measures, we're #4 in most FTA, and #5 in that FT/FGA ratio. How are they doing it? They have 5 different guys who get to the line at least 3 times a game in Ramon Sessions, Kemba Walker, Gerald Henderson, Hakim Warrick, and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. You may notice that most all of those guys are guards who can drive with the ball in their hands. The Bobcats go on the attack.

They don't blow you away on offense, but they play a fast pace (#10 in the NBA), they are 30th in opponents PPG and 30th in DEF RTG. So, well, they are middling on offense and horrible on defense. This sounds like just the type of club we should perform well against.

Except, well, they are filled with talented, short, quick guards in Kemba Walker, Ramon Sessions, Ben Gordon, etc. We may be forced into more of the Gordon Hayward, Alec Burks, Randy Foye 1,2,3 lineup at times tonight as we know DeMarre isn't going to be able to go through screen after screen. Dude will pick up too many fouls.

The downfall of the Bobcats happens on their own glass, they are 29th in DRB%. We don't kill it there, but we're 6th in ORB%, so this should be our point of attack. We're missing a wing and a guard -- but we're at full health inside. And they are not.

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Injury Report:

Bobcats Injuries --

• Byron Mullens (C) OUT -- B.J. is out indefinitely with a sprained left ankle
• Hakim Warrick (PF) QUESTIONABLE -- Hakim has an undisclosed illness and is questionable for tonight

Jazz Injuries --

• Mo Williams (PG) OUT -- Mo is out rehabbing from a successful right thumb surgery and will miss at least a month. Jamaal Tinsley will start in his place.
  
• Marvin Williams (SF/PF) OUT -- Marvin is going to miss at the very least this three game road trip with right knee inflammation that flared up against the Dallas Mavericks. DeMarre Carroll will start in his place, and Kevin Murphy was called up from the NBDL.
  
• Raja Bell (SG) OUT -- The former Bobcat isn't making the trip because he's a wanted man because he didn't pay his last cell phone bill and has three VHS tapes that are really. really. late that he has to return still.

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Advantage --

If Hakim is out I'd call it even because they'd be down two bigs. As it stands right now we're at the disadvantage of having two starters out. Like, it's not usually an advantage if you are forced to start DeMarre Carroll, right?

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Player Focus:

Al Jefferson has to deliver us from all these shrimpy guards -- unless he gets in foul trouble early trying to prevent them from getting layups after they blow past our guards. Recently we looked at Go Rating and it clearly shows that Al isn't the type of guy (by the numbers) to be a first option on a good team. Tonight would be a great time to remind us that sometimes the numbers lie. A 30 pt game from him tonight would be awesome. Seriously, he should be putting up 30 against a group of Bismack Biyombo, Tyrus Thomas, and Brendan Haywood. He's earning $15 million this year, after all!

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X-Factors:

Bench scoring -- we're both deep-ish teams without that one take over player. At times Walker and Gordon can be those guys for the Bobcats. At times Millsap, Jefferson, and Hayward can be for us. But it's going to be a game won or lost if we let a no-name guy beat us. Let's have our no-name guys beat the other team for once!

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Word from the Badguys:

I had a really strange twitter conversation in French today with Cardboard Gerald, I'm . . . I'm not going to link it. (Amin was also involved)

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As an aside:

I hope Michael Jordan goes to this game so he sees the Jazz winning over him. I'm still not over it.

I'm never going to be over it.

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Fearless Prediction:

Jazz win, why? Because eff you, Michael Jordan!