Nets at Jazz
The Utah Jazz are fighting to stay out of the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference and are pulling out of a slump with wins in back-to-back games. The Jazz will try to make it three straight victories when they host another team fighting at the bottom of playoff bracket in its conference in the Brooklyn Nets.
Utah crushed the Phoenix Suns and the Minnesota Timberwolves by an average of 18.5 points in the last two contests while dominating on the inside and locking down on defense. "We just have to come out with that mindset every night," Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell told reporters. "We had it in New Orleans, got away from it in Memphis, and I think it's a little bit of a wake-up call. We got right back to it. We have to continue the same mindset on defense and not let it falter in these upcoming games." Brooklyn had a four-game winning streak come to an end when it opened its seven-game road trip with a 108-96 setback at Oklahoma City on Wednesday. The Nets, who are fighting for the No. 6 seed in the East, will face the Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers before heading back east and finishing the trip at Philadelphia on March 28.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, YES (Brooklyn), AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain (Utah)
ABOUT THE NETS (36-34): Brooklyn shot 41.7 percent from the floor in the loss at Oklahoma City and is trying to find a way to open up the offense by getting more looks from beyond the arc. "We have not been good offensively since the All-Star break, so we're going to have to look at it," Nets coach Kenny Atkinson told reporters. "Our decision-making has got to be a little quicker. We're passing up shots, quite honestly. Allen Crabbe (2-of-7 from beyond the arc Wednesday), I'd love for him to shoot nine 3s. To beat a team like (the Thunder), you've got to let it go when it's open. They had us on our heels." Spencer Dinwiddie paced the offense with 25 points on Wednesday and is averaging 23.8 points over the last four contests.
ABOUT THE JAZZ (39-29): Utah held each of its last three opponents to 100 or fewer points and wants to focus on defense the rest of the way. "I don't think (defense is) ever a finished product," Jazz coach Quin Snyder told reporters. "... The key thing for us, I told the team the last however many games, whether it's five or 10, we just need to keep trying to get better. Whatever the defense is today, I want it to be better (Saturday). And if it's not, let's figure out how it can be. That mentality for us, on both sides of the ball, will serve us well - not worrying about who we're playing or seeding or playoffs or anything, but just trying to get better." The anchor of the defense is center Rudy Gobert, who recorded a double-double in each of the last three contests.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Mitchell scored at least 20 points in 15 of the last 16 games.
2. Nets PG D'Angelo Russell is 6-of-26 from 3-point range over the last three games.
3. Utah earned a 101-91 win at Brooklyn on Nov. 28 and took four of the last five in the series.