Jazz Play Trio Of Below .500 Teams In OKC, Minnesota, Golden State

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Utah Jazz are scheduled to play teams with below .500 records in the team’s next three games. Those are the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Golden State Warriors.

The Jazz began a seven-game stretch against below .500 opponents when they defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 126-112 on Saturday, December 7.

The upcoming games are a soft spot in the schedule and will allow Utah to recover from a tough slate to start the season.

Bogey as a whole 𝗺𝗼𝗼𝗱 pic.twitter.com/kKZ8enrNwH

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) October 24, 2019

Utah has lost five of its last seven games. Before the win against the Grizzlies, the Jazz had trailed by double-digits at halftime in five consecutive games.

Jazz head coach Quin Snyder would still like to see his team play better defense than they’ve shown through the first 23 games to start the 2019-20 season. Utah has allowed 100 points or more in 14 of its last 16 games.

Utah can go on its second four-game winning streak of the season with wins over the Thunder, T-Wolves, and Warriors.

12/9 vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

The Jazz play Oklahoma City for the first time since the season opener when they host the Thunder on December 9.

Utah will be without point guard Mike Conley who will miss his third consecutive game with hamstring tightness.

Jazz injury report:

Mike Conley – OUT (left hamstring tightness)

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) December 8, 2019

The Jazz defeated OKC 100-95 in the first matchup of the season. Donovan Mitchell was spectacular in the opener and led Utah with 32 points on 14-22 shooting. He recorded 12 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal in 36 minutes of play.

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— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) October 24, 2019

The Thunder battled against the Jazz but Utah’s defense in the first and fourth quarters was too much for OKC to overcome. Oklahoma City’s backcourt of Chris Paul and Sha Gilgeous-Alexander combined for 48 points in the loss.

SGA leads all Thunder players averaging 18.6 points per game.

Utah plays against Oklahoma City two more times this season, March 11 and April 13.

Team Records (as of December 8):

Utah: 13-10 (9-2 Home) – 2nd in Northwest Division

Oklahoma City: 9-12 (2-7 Away) – 4th in Northwest Division

Where: Vivint Smart Home Arena (18,306) in Salt Lake City, Utah

When: Monday, December 8 at 7 p.m. (MDT)

TV: NBA League Pass and AT&T SportsNet

Radio: 97.5 FM

Tickets: From $9

12/11 @ Minnesota

Utah and Minnesota will square off for the third time this season and the second time at the Target Center when the Jazz travel to Minneapolis on December 11.

The Jazz and Timberwolves split the two previous matchups this season when they played in back-to-back games on November 18 and 20.

Donovan Mitchell sat him down 😳💺 pic.twitter.com/ghbqIG02wO

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 21, 2019

Minnesota beat Utah 112-102 in Salt Lake City to start the season series. The Jazz took the second game 102-95 at the Target Center.

In both games, the Jazz were led in scoring by Bojan Bogdanovic who posted 18 points and 30 points.

A key matchup to watch for is Wolves center Karl-Anthony Towns and Jazz center Rudy Gobert. Towns leads the Timberwolves in scoring with an average of 26.2 points per game. That scoring average ranks No. 8 in the NBA.

Team Records (as of December 8):

Utah: 13-10 (4-8 Away) – 2nd in Northwest Division

Minnesota: 10-11 (3-7 Home) – 3rd in Northwest Division

Where: Target Center (19,356) in Minneapolis, Minnesota

When: Wednesday, December 11 at 6 p.m. (MDT)

TV: NBA League Pass and AT&T SportsNet

Radio: 97.5 FM

Tickets: From $13

12/13 vs. Golden State

The December 13 game between the Jazz and Warriors will be the third meeting between the two teams this season. Utah leads the season series 2-0.

The Jazz defeated the Warriors in the Bay Area 122-108 on November 11. Utah took the second game of the series 113-109 on November 22 at Vivint Smart Home Arena.

Golden State is led in scoring by rookie Eric Paschall who is recording an average of 17.1 points per contest on 50.7 percent shooting. Paschall is a childhood friend of Jazzman Donovan Mitchell.

Donovan Mitchell and Eric Paschall have a bond as inseparable as blood brothers ✊ pic.twitter.com/Whk5r5r7su

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 22, 2019

Utah will see a familiar face when they host the Warriors. Former Jazzman Alec Burks is averaging 15.0 points per game for Golden State this season.

The Warriors will be without Steph Curry and Klay Thompson who are recovering from injury.

Team Records (as of December 8):

Utah: 13-10 (9-2 Home) – 2nd in Northwest Division

Golden State: 5-19 (3-12 Away) – 5th in Pacific Division

Where: Vivint Smart Home Arena (18,306) in Salt Lake City, Utah

When: Friday, December 13 at 7 p.m. (MDT)

TV: NBA League Pass and AT&T SportsNet

Radio: 97.5 FM

Tickets: From $16