Jazz at Spurs
LaMarcus Aldridge continues to shine in his redemption season and looks for another strong outing when the San Antonio Spurs seek their fifth win in seven games by hosting the streaking Utah Jazz on Saturday. Aldridge's first two seasons with the Spurs were disappointing but he has bounced back with team-best averages of 22.3 points and 8.5 rebounds to make his sixth All-Star team.
Aldridge requested a trade prior to the season before he and coach Gregg Popovich ironed out their differences and reached an accord regarding his usage. Then star small forward Kawhi Leonard (quadriceps) missing most of the season opened the door for Aldridge to play like the go-to force he was with the Portland Trail Blazers and his teammates are impressed. "You could see it all the way back to the preseason, every practice, every game. There are seasons where you're just locked in 100 percent," Spurs center Pau Gasol told reporters. "After two years of being here, getting to know the system, and trying to fit in, now he's gotten to a point where he's playing his game, taking care of business, and being an All-Star, a superstar in this league." Utah has won four consecutive games, including back-to-back blowouts over the Golden State Warriors (129-99 on Tuesday) and Phoenix Suns (129-97 on Friday).
TV: 9 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain (Utah), FSN Southwest (San Antonio)
ABOUT THE JAZZ (23-28): Shooting guard Donovan Mitchell won Western Conference Rookie of the Month honors for December and January, and his first game in February wasn't too shabby - 40 points on 14-of-19 shooting, including a season-best seven 3-pointers. Mitchell, a first-round pick out of Louisville, has scored 20 or more points in 10 of the past 15 games while filling the go-to scorer role of the departed Gordon Hayward. "Just making the right plays," Mitchell said after becoming the first rookie with two 40-point games in the same season since Blake Griffin in 2010-11. "Without my teammates, none of this would be possible. I didn't even know I had 40 until (teammate Joe Johnson) told me."
ABOUT THE SPURS (34-20): Shooting guard Danny Green had one of his better performances of the season with 22 points, six rebounds and three steals in Thursday's 102-91 home loss to the Houston Rockets. It marked the second 20-point outing this season for Green, who is averaging 8.6 points and shooting 39.7 percent from the field. Second-year pro Bryn Forbes is cutting into Green's playing time but his production is up-and-down - including a season-best 23 points Sunday against Sacramento and two against Denver two nights later before scoring 11 in 18 minutes against the Rockets.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. SG Rodney Hood (leg) is expected to miss his seventh consecutive game - he scored 29 points as the Jazz recorded a 100-89 home victory over the Spurs on Dec. 21.
2. Utah C Rudy Gobert blocked five shots against the Suns and has 21 rejections in seven games since returning from a bruised tibia and sprained knee.
3. Gasol tallied only six points against the Rockets after reaching double digits in each of his previous seven games.