The Utah Jazz have won eight of the last nine games and five in a row. They play the Indiana Pacers tonight to continue their six-game homestand. Tyrese Haliburton, an Indiana standout, has missed the last three games due to a left hamstring issue. He is unlikely to play tonight because early reports stated that he would be reevaluated following their road trip. After losing in Denver the previous night, the Pacers are now in the second night of the historic Rocky Mountain back-to-back. Utah cannot afford to undervalue this Indiana squad, even with Haliburton out and the rest of the lineup against them. The Pacers have won two of three games without Haliburton, demonstrating their continuous threat as a point guard. In all, they had won nine of the last eleven games
The Pacers have a strong backcourt even without Haliburton. Indiana has plenty of skill to cover for his offensive genius, even if it will be dearly missed. In the backcourt, Bruce Brown, Bennedict Mathurin, TJ McConnell, Buddy Hield, and Andrew Nembhard all expected to see some action. Utah will need to adapt to that grouping’s diverse strengths. McConnell and Brown will play aggressive defense. Mathurin and Hield can shoot from any location. The Pacers that Will Hardy’s team will face are unlike any other in the league.
With Jordan Clarkson rediscovering his rhythm off the bench and Collin Sexton flourishing as a starter, the Jazz backcourt has been on fire. Keyonte George, a youngster, has experienced normal ups and downs as a rookie, but he just had a fantastic game against the Lakers on Saturday. As dependable as they come, Kris Dunn has been a vocal leader, distribution of the ball, and fierce defense.
