Pacers at Jazz
The Indiana Pacers attempt to bounce back from a rare loss when they visit the recently improving Utah Jazz on Wednesday. Indiana is an NBA-best 16-2 but had a seven-game winning streak halted with Monday’s loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. Utah has won three of the past four games and posted an impressive 109-103 victory over the Houston Rockets on Monday as Gordon Hayward scored a season-high 29 points.
The Jazz have topped 100 points in three consecutive games after reaching that mark just once over the first 16 contests. Rookie point guard Trey Burke has energized the attack since returning from a broken finger and had a season-high 21 points against Houston. The Pacers lead the NBA in scoring defense (87.6) but have allowed 100 or more points in each of the first two games of the current five-game road trip. Standout forward Paul George scored a career-high 43 points and made seven 3-pointers in the loss to the Trail Blazers.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, FSN Indiana, ROOT (Utah)
ABOUT THE PACERS (16-2): Guard Lance Stephenson is averaging 12 points but has tallied seven or fewer in each of the past three games. The reason for the downturn lies in Stephenson’s diminished shot attempts as he has taken just 16 total during the stretch after lofting 10 or more in nine consecutive outings. “He is playing too unselfishly,” Indiana coach Frank Vogel said after the Portland game. “There were three or four times he was at the rim and looking to pass. He just had a poor shooting night. If our problems are that we’re too unselfish or that guys can’t make shots like that on the road, we’ll be alright.”
ABOUT THE JAZZ (4-15): Hayward had been mired in a deep funk before breaking out with a 12-of-18 shooting performance against the Rockets. He set the tone with a 17-point first quarter en route to his first 20-point outing since Nov. 13. Hayward had made just 29.3 percent of his shots in a nine-game span before the big game. “I got going early by getting some easy buckets in transitions,” said Hayward, “and any time you see the ball go through the hoop like that, it sets the tone.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Pacers have lost six consecutive visits to Utah.
2. Burke is 7-of-12 from 3-point range while averaging 20.5 points over the past two games.
3. Indiana C Roy Hibbert has six double-doubles and has recorded at least one blocked shot in each of the team’s 18 games.