Two teams struggling to get wins meet up in Salt Lake City tonight as the Hawks take on the Jazz in what will be the 2nd and final meeting of the season. Atlanta dominated the proceedings a little over 2 weeks ago when the two teams played at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. The Hawks shot just under 50% from the field in a 124-97 blowout win. However, since that game they’re just 3-4 SU in their last 7 outings, injuries are the main reason why Atlanta has struggled to match expectations this season. Trae Young has been out for a while now, recovering from a broken finger. They also just lost Saddiq Bey to a season ending knee injury. Bogdan Bogdanovic is listed as day-to-day, but he should be ready to play. Atlanta needs everyone they can get at this point, they’ve beaten the Jazz just twice in the last 8 meetings.
Utah is also dealing with a lot right now – two of their best players Jordan Clarkson and Lauri Markkanen are both questionable here with groin and quad injuries. Those absences are a big blow to the ambitions of this team, with just 17 games remaining there’s very little hope of them catching the Warriors who are 6 games ahead of them in the standings. Defense has been a major issue, over the last 7 games this team is allowing 125.2 points per 100 possessions which ranks them dead last in the NBA during that stretch. It’s no wonder they’ve won just 1 of their last 7 outings, only the Toronto Raptors have a worse Net Rating in those 7 games. Playing at home will be a motivating factor, but even at the Delta Center the Jazz have just 2 wins in 8 games.
