What to watch for: Utah Jazz at Orlando Magic
Bojan Bogdanovic (44) looks to make a play against Aaron Gordon (00) and the Orlando Magic.
Friday night's road trip opener finished with a 116-124 loss against the Miami Heat. The Utah Jazz will now head three and a half hours north to take on the Orlando Magic at the Amway Center later this evening.
Jazz vs Magic Throwback:
During the 62-games that these two squads have played against each other, the Utah Jazz have exited the matchup victorious 39-times. Utah is currently on a three-game winning streak, with their last win coming on January 4, 2020.
During the Jazz 109-96 victory against the Magic, Donovan Mitchell led the way with 32-points and 6-assists, while Rudy Gobert dominated the glass with 17-rebounds.
Key Players:
Rudy Gobert and Nikola Vucevic will be two two-time All-Stars to keep your eye on during tonights game between the Jazz and Magic.
Gobert is fresh off of a 15-point, 12-rebound night against the Heat, and will be looking to assert his dominance again tonight against the Magic. The Jazz 7'1 Center leads the team with 13.3 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks. He is also second on the team in field goal percentage at 63.9%. Utah's big man was named as an All-Star alongside teammate Donovan Mitchell for the second time in his career, the first since 2020.
Rudy Gobert (27) dunks over Nikola Vucevic (9) and Aaron Gordon (00)
Vucevic leads the Magic in scoring with 24.1 points and rebounds with 11.7. He has arguably been the player of the game for the Magic during the last four outings, averaging 29-points, and 12-rebounds per game. Vucevic was named as an All-Star for the second time in his career, the first since 2019.
Fun Facts:
The 'Statement' yellow uniforms will make their way onto the floor for the Jazz once again on Saturday night. The Jazz are 5-0 when rocking the over-sized 'J-Note' this season, with their last victory in the uniforms coming over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday.
There will be three people representing the Utah Jazz in the 2021 NBA All-Star game on March 7 in Atlanta, Georgia. First, Head Coach Quin Snyder will be leading Team LeBron as the coaching representative for the Western Conference. Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert will also take part in the All-Star Game, being named as reserve players on Tuesday night.
Donovan Mitchell (45) drives past Mo Bamba (5) on his way to the hoop
Mitchell will also take part in the Mountain Dew Three-Point Contest during All-Star Weekend. This will be his first skills challenge appearance since his Verizon Dunk Contest victory in 2018.
The second half of the 2020-2021 season was released on Wednesday afternoon. The Jazz are predicted to have the easiest schedule in the NBA going forward, which includes six Nationally Televised games.
Even after their loss against the Miami Heat, the Jazz still rank first in the NBA standings with a 26-7 record. They lead the Los Angeles Clippers by three games, the Los Angeles Lakers by three and a half games, and the Phoenix Suns by four and a half games in the Western Conference. They also lead the Philadelphia 76ers by four games, and the Brooklyn Nets by four and a half games in the Eastern Conference.
The Magic are 2-2 in their last four games, with a win over the Golden State Warriors, a loss against the Brooklyn Nets, and a split two-game series against the Detroit Pistons. Orlando currently ranks 13th in the Eastern Conference with a 13-20 record overall.
Udoka Azubuike is the only Jazz player listed as out on their injury report for Saturday night. Orlando has quite the slate of injured players, including James Ennis III who is listed as day-to-day. Markelle Fultz and Jonathan Isaac are both listed as out, alongside Aaron Gordon who will be out with a left ankle sprain, and Cole Anthony who is listed as out with a fractured rib.
How to Consume:
A Saturday night tipoff at the Amway Center will be the setting for the Utah Jazz and Orlando Magic. You can catch the game tonight at 6pm on AT&T SportsNet. The game will also be radio broadcast on 97.5FM or 1280AM.
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