“Stay Healthy Mentally And Physically” | Utah Returns Home To Face Struggling Trailblazers | Utah Jazz

After 11 days away from the comfortable confines of Vivint Arena, Utah’s return home couldn’t have come at a better time. 

Embattled in a highly close Western Conference playoffs race where just five games separate the No. 2 and No. 6 seeds, the Jazz will look to reinforce their positioning when they host the Portland Trailblazers on Wednesday night. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. MST on ESPN.

Utah is back in the snowy mountains after a five-game road trip that featured some ups and downs.

The Jazz began the trip with a resounding victory over top-seeded Phoenix, a game in which Utah could flex its supreme depth and bother the Suns all afternoon. Wins over Houston and Oklahoma City helped offset difficult losses to New Orleans and Dallas, the latter coming on Monday night in what could’ve been a playoff preview. 

“I don’t think we’ve played as well as we can,” head coach Quin Snyder said following the loss to the Mavericks. “We’ve had some good games and played some good stretches. … We haven’t hit a stride yet. I think games like this are opportunities for us to see that and continue to grind.”

While the five-game road trip was difficult, Utah is in one of its most physically taxing stretches of the season as they’re playing their third of six games, all of which take place over nine days. 

Following the back-to-back against Oklahoma City and Dallas, the Jazz face Portland on Wednesday before another back-to-back at San Antonio on Friday and home against Sacramento on Saturday. The span wraps up with a home game against the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night.

Regardless, it does not matter their schedule or opponent, Utah is prepared for battle after coming out stronger than ever following a brutal month of January. While those struggles had been heightened by the media, the response has proven much better. The Jazz are 10-3 since the calendar flipped to February — with the most recent road trip showcasing Utah’s improved mindset and stability.

“Obviously, we want to win every night, but I think we have learned a lot on this trip,” Rudy Gobert said. “We just have to keep the right mindset, stay healthy mentally and physically. … Just stick together. I think we have a great opportunity to have a very good season.”

While Wednesday’s game will be nationally televised on ESPN, Portland comes to town amidst some serious struggles following the return after the all-star break. 

During their current five-game losing streak, all of which have come against teams currently in the Western Conference playoff picture, the Blazers are being outscored by an average of 31.2 points per game. 

Portland’s struggles should be a recipe of success for the Jazz, a team looking to find its rhythm on both sides of the ball heading into the final stretch of the season. 

STATS
Utah (40-24, 22-10 home / No. 4 Western Conference)
Offense
*113.6 Points Per Game (No. 6 in NBA)
*115.8 Offensive Rating (No. 1 in NBA)

Defense
*107.6 Points Per Game (No. 11 in NBA)
*109.9 Defensive Rating (No. 13 in NBA)

*Donovan Mitchell: 25.7 points / 5.4 assists / 4.0 rebounds / 1.6 steals
*Rudy Gobert: 15.6 points / 14.8 rebounds / 2.2 blocks / 71.0% shooting 
*Bojan Bogdanovic: 17.8 points / 4.3 rebounds / 38.6% 3P-shooting
*Jordan Clarkson: 15.8 points / 3.3 rebonds / 2.3 assists

Portland (25-39, 9-21 away / No. 11 Western Conference)
Offense
*107.2 Points Per Game (No. 23 in NBA)
*108.2 Offensive Rating (No. 25 in NBA)

Defense
*113.2 Points Per Game (No. 27 in NBA)
*114.5 Defensive Rating (No. 28 in NBA)

*Anfernee Simons: 17.3 points / 3.9 assists / 40.5% 3P-shooting
*Josh Hart: 15.9 points / 5.1 rebounds / 4.1 assists 
*Brandon Williams: 13.4 points / 38.1% 3P-shooting

MATCHUP TO WATCH

*Donovan Mitchell vs. Anfernee Simons
— Already one of the elite guards in the NBA, Mitchell has struggled shooting the ball the past couple of games so a game against the Trailblazers’ defense should be a welcome sight to get back on track. Simons, who should look at Mitchell’s career trajectory and try to follow the recipe, is averaging 26.3 points over his last eight games.

INJURY REPORT
Utah
NOTHING TO REPORT

Portland
QUESTIONABLE — Anfernee Simons (Left knee patellar tendinopathy)
OUT — Eric Bledsoe (left Achilles tendinopathy)
OUT — Joe Ingles (left knee recovery)
OUT – Damian Lillard (core muscle recovery)
OUT — Nassir Little (left shoulder recovery)
OUT — Didi Louzada (left knee recovery)
OUT — Jusuf Nurkic (left foot plantar fasciitis)
OUT — Justise Winslow (right Achilles soreness)

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Time: 8:00 p.m. MST
Location: Vivint Arena / Salt Lake City, UT
TV: ESPN
Radio: 1280 The Zone