NBA: Atlanta Hawks vs Utah Jazz Prediction & Match Preview
The Atlanta Hawks’ gruelling West Coast road trip continues on Tuesday (November 9) when they face the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City.
The Atlanta Hawks, led by Trae Young, are in disarray. They’ve dropped six of their previous seven games, including a four-game losing streak right now. They just lost 127-113 to the Golden State Warriors, who were led by Steph Curry, who had a 50-point game against the Hawks.
Even when they return home, the Atlanta Hawks’ schedule isn’t going to get any easier, so every win is crucial. They competed admirably against the Warriors but were unable to overcome Curry’s incredible shooting. In a back-to-back against another great club, the Utah Jazz, the Hawks must be more resilient and show more effort.
Coach Quin Snyder’s team is similarly mired in a rut. Following a 4-0 start, the Utah Jazz has dropped to 3-3 after recent losses to the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic. Their once-stout defence is showing signs of wear and tear, and it will need to be fine-tuned to return to form.
The Utah Jazz is set to begin a five-game homestand against Eastern Conference opponents. Taking on the exhausted Atlanta Hawks could be the ideal way to start their home schedule.
Match Details
Fixture: Atlanta Hawks vs Utah Jazz | 2021-22 NBA season.
Date & Time: Tuesday, November 9th; 9:00 PM ET (Wednesday, November 10th; 7:30 AM IST).
Venue: Vivint Arena, Salt Lake City, UT.
Atlanta Hawks Preview
After reaching the East Finals last season, Trae Young went on record as saying that the Atlanta Hawks find it dull to compete in the regular season. Coach Nate McMillan has a huge problem on his hands if their consecutive losses and 4-7 record are accurate indicators of boredom.
In their first four games, the Atlanta Hawks had a 100.5 defensive rating and went 3-1. It has slipped to a dismal 120.8 in their previous seven games, which would be the worst in the league by a large margin. They have a defence rating of 111.5, which ranks them 27th in the league.
Donovan Mitchell tonight:
37 Points
7 Assists
2 Steals
50% FG pic.twitter.com/kwYFYD4wpU— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) November 7, 2021
Defence necessitates time and effort. They’re not going to break their losing trend anytime soon if they can’t muster the necessary effort and energy. The NBA is far too good for a team’s defence to be lacking.
Atlanta Hawks Predicted Lineup
G – Trae Young | G – Bogdan Bogdanovic | F – Deandre Hunter | F – John Collins | F – Clint Capela.
Utah Jazz Preview
This season, the Utah Jazz’s game plan has been simple: play tough defence, crash the boards, and limit turnovers. That strategy worked admirably for the first few games, but it has slowed in recent weeks.
Utah is still second in the NBA in rebounding, and despite a little drop in defence, it is still in the top 10. The turnovers have been the Jazz’s undoing of late. While they have excelled at gaining more possessions through hard-won rebounds, some of these possessions have been squandered.
If the Utah Jazz is to halt their losing skid, they must change their turnover-prone ways. On offence, they need to enhance their communication and clean up their offensive sets. Utah has traditionally been a regular-season machine, and that trend has continued this season. They should be able to right the ship in no time with a few minor adjustments and more attention.
Utah Jazz Predicted Lineup
G – Mike Conley | G – Donovan Mitchell | F – Bojan Bogdanovic | F – Royce O’Neale | C – Rudy Gobert.
Hawks vs Jazz Match Prediction
The Atlanta Hawks are in shambles and are in the midst of a brutal road trip. They also have a lot to work on when it comes to defence effort and focus. Playing against the well-rested Utah Jazz will only make their journey more difficult.
Meanwhile, against the road-weary Atlanta Hawks, the Utah Jazz will definitely aim to rebound in a major way. The Utah Jazz is heavy favourites to win if they take care of the ball and play their typical style. Quin Snyder’s team should catch the Atlanta Hawks at a vulnerable time.