The Utah Jazz will probably be looking for their first highway victory of the season once they go to the Boston Celtics on Monday evening.
Utah’s highway file dropped to 0-3 following Sunday’s 126-103 loss to Charlotte. The Jazz performed with out middle Walker Kessler, who returned to Utah earlier than Sunday’s recreation to get therapy for a left shoulder damage that would stop him from taking part in within the ultimate three video games of Utah’s five-game highway journey. Kessler is averaging a team-high 10.8 rebounds per recreation and is Utah’s third-leading scorer (14.4 ppg).
Protection was a problem for Utah in Sunday’s loss. The Hornets scored 71 factors within the first half and had 104 factors getting into the fourth quarter.
“Comparable really feel to final recreation,” Jazz coach Will Hardy stated in reference to a 118-96 loss at Phoenix on Friday. “Our communication has not been excellent defensively and we’re not doing a very good job of guarding the ball. It is a collective effort. All people has to do some extra and be slightly sharper. It does not assist when you do not make any photographs, however I felt like our vitality kind of fell off on the finish of the primary and starting of the second (quarter).”
The Celtics will probably be seeking to keep away from back-to-back dwelling losses. Boston had received three in a row earlier than Saturday’s 128-101 loss to the visiting Houston Rockets.
“Clearly, it wasn’t our evening,” Boston coach Joe Mazzulla stated. “Rockets performed effectively, good crew, well-coached, They had been ready, and this wasn’t our evening. So to me, that occurs over the course of the season, and so it’s going to be extra necessary about how we reply on Monday at shootaround and within the recreation on Monday evening.”
Baylor Scheierman was one of many few brilliant spots for the Celtics in Saturday’s loss to Houston. Scheierman got here off the bench and led Boston in scoring with 17 factors in 23 minutes.
Scheierman, who scored a complete of three factors taking part in 5 of Boston’s first six video games, made 4 of 5 from 3-point vary. He additionally grabbed 5 rebounds and had two steals.
“You attempt to simply make an affect wherever you may,” Scheierman stated. “It’s robust to get in a circulation whenever you’re solely in there for two-and-a-half, three minutes. However you are making an attempt to simply make successful performs, whether or not that is boxing out, making a minimize that frees up another person. It is the little issues, it is not essentially the whole lot that reveals up in a stat sheet.”
5 Celtics enter Monday’s recreation averaging not less than 10 factors per recreation: Jaylen Brown (25.4), Derrick White (15.0), Payton Pritchard (14.6), Anfernee Simons (13.7) and Sam Hauser (10.4). Heart Neemias Queta is the crew’s main rebounder (7.6).
Lauri Markkanen has carried the Utah offense this season. He scored not less than 32 factors in 4 straight video games earlier than tossing in 29 factors throughout Sunday’s loss. He is averaging 33.8 factors per recreation.
Keyonte George is Utah’s No. 2 scorer (21.2 ppg).
Utah has misplaced three in a row and 4 of 5 since opening the season with a 129-108 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
“Our mentality has to shift when it comes to the vitality we’re prepared to offer to the sport,” Hardy stated on Sunday. “I’ve little doubt that our locker room will self-correct and be able to go tomorrow.”
–Subject Stage Media
