Jazz at Hawks
The Utah Jazz relied on a stingy defense to win four of their first six games, but a difficult road trip to the East Coast has taken its toll as they limp into Sunday’s matchup at the Atlanta Hawks. The Jazz have dropped the first three games of the four-game eastern swing, allowing an average of 104 points after holding opponents to an average of 85 points in winning four of their first six contests of the season.
“We were dead tonight,” Utah coach Quin Snyder told the media after Friday’s 102-93 defeat at Orlando, a game in which the Jazz trailed 16-2 and were down 23 points before a frantic rally made the final score respectable. The Hawks have dropped two of their past three after an 8-1 start, falling 106-93 Friday at Boston while forcing a season-low 10 turnovers. Of more concern is the left ankle of point guard Jeff Teague, who suffered an injury at the end of the first half and finished with season lows in points (six) and assists (three). “We just didn’t play very good,” Atlanta guard Kyle Korver said to reporters after the game. “I thought we made some mistakes that really hurt.”
TV: 6 p.m. ET, ROOT Sports (Salt Lake City), FSN Southeast (Atlanta)
ABOUT THE JAZZ (4-5): Utah’s efforts Friday were hampered by the absence of starters Ruby Gobert (sprained left ankle) and Rodney Hood (sore right foot), a duo averaging a combined 20.8 points for a team near the bottom of the NBA in scoring (91.3 points). The Jazz have allowed opponents to shoot 46.4 percent from the field during the road trip after limiting the opposition to 39.4 percent in the first six games. Forward Gordon Haywood is averaging 19 points in his past six games.
ABOUT THE HAWKS (8-3): Atlanta continues to struggle in rebounds and second-chance points despite its strong start to the season, allowing 17 offensive rebounds and 24 second-chance points Friday. Korver scored 11 points and shot 3-of-5 from 3-point range against the Celtics after scoring just 19 points total in his previous three contests. Center Al Horford leads the Hawks in scoring at 17.2 points and is shooting 51.9 percent from the field while Teague averages 17.1 points and 6.5 assists, but played only 10 minutes in the second half after the ankle injury.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer missed Friday’s game with what the team called “a family emergency.”
2. Utah C Derrick Favors scored five points with seven rebounds in 19 minutes Friday, limited by foul trouble one night after recording 25 points and 12 boards at Miami.
3. The Hawks had averaged 11.7 steals and reached double figures in six consecutive games before Friday.