Utah Jazz vs Detroit Pistons: Game Preview

At the Palace of Auburn Hills the Jazz will try to extend their winning streak to, erhm, two against the Pistons. Who will be desperate to stop their losing skid from reaching, well, two.

Although they did get burned against Cleveland on the road, so they will be eager to not let that happen twice.

Then again, at home, they have won their last four, including against the Cavaliers and, most recently, the Knicks. And they’re doing it by committee with leading scorers varying from Morris to Jackson to Harris to Caldwell-Pope to, even, Jon Leuer (in a loss, admittedly).

The Jazz, in the mean time, will try to build on their home win against home court advantage foe the Clippers by adding another road win to their belt. And they have been feasting on the East lately, so let’s get it on!

Expected Starting Line-Ups:

George Hill vs Reggie Jackson

Rodney Hood vs Kentavius Caldwell-Pope

Gordon Hayward vs Tobias Harris

Joe Johnson vs Markieff Morris

Rudy Gobert vs Andre Drummond

Marquee Match-Up: Rudy Gobert vs Andre Drummond

I’m not the only one thinking this, by the way:

Two of the better defensive centers in the league, Drummond and Gobert are both excellent shot blockers, rebounders, and they are very able in protecting the point. Which of the two centers can get his team the edge on the boards, and will one of them be able to force the other team into jump shooters?

X- Factor: 3pt shooting

With Drummond patrolling the paint, the Jazz could use a good shooting night. And goodness, did they have one against the Clippers. The Jazz shot a sizzling 14-for-21 from behind the arc, with Hayward going 4-for-5 and Ingles 3-for-4. But they were helped out by streaky shooters like Diaw (1-for-1) and Exum (2-for-2). If they can extend that momentum to the Detroit game, the Jazz might just take that win home.

Prediction: Jazz Win

The Jazz are full steam ahead for home court advantage, and a Detroit win would help for sure.