Nets at Jazz
Enes Kanter has posted consecutive stellar performances and goes for a third strong effort when the Utah Jazz host the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday. Kanter had 24 points and 17 rebounds in a loss to Cleveland on Wednesday and followed that with 24 points and 16 rebounds one night later in a victory over Milwaukee. The win was the second in seven games for Utah while Brooklyn has lost nine of its last 11 contests.
The Nets continue to struggle and were thumped badly 123-84 by the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday. “It was unfortunate for us, very embarrassing, considering it was a nationally televised game,” center Jerome Jordan told reporters. “The only thing that counts is that it was only one game, and now we’ve got to move forward.” The Jazz were without power forward Derrick Favors (personal reasons) against Milwaukee and it isn’t yet known whether he’ll rejoin the club for Saturday’s game.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, YES (Brooklyn), ROOT (Utah)
ABOUT THE NETS (18-25): Kevin Garnett was rested against the Clippers and Brook Lopez had a highly disappointing performance to follow up a three-game stretch in which he averaged 21 points with two efforts of more than 20 points. Lopez had four points and one rebound in 24 minutes in the one-sided affair and Joe Johnson also struggled, scoring just nine points on 4-of-12 shooting. Johnson has scored in single digits in three of the past five games and has yet to reach 20 points in 12 games this month.
ABOUT THE JAZZ (15-28): Dante Exum was moved into the starting lineup ahead of Trey Burke and scored a career-best 15 points on five 3-pointers against Milwaukee. It was just the second start for Exum, the fifth pick in last summer’s NBA Draft, and he also delivered five assists while playing a career-high 35 minutes. “I just tried to step into my shots and do what I do normally,” Exum told reporters. “It’s the same routine. They just happened to fall.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. A victory by the Nets would give them two straight road wins over Utah for the first time.
2. Jazz C Rudy Gobert has three double-doubles in five games and is averaging 11.2 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocked shots during the stretch.
3. Brooklyn F Mirza Teletovic (blood clots in lungs) left the loss to the Clippers and will miss the rest of the season.