SLC Dunk - Utah Jazz face Golden State who—BY SHEER COINCIDENCE—could be without Draymond Green

[DWest]

The past two games have been close. Can the Jazz overcome the Warriors and their new Weapon in Oakland?

From November 9th to November 27th, the Warriors, injury-plagued though they were, went 5-6 and looked beatable. These days, not so much. In 2019, the Warriors have lost two games. Both games were at home, with one defeat coming at the hands of the Houston Rockets in OT and the other courtesy of Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and the Philadelphia 76ers.

In other words, the Warriors (40-15) are good and the San Francisco Bay is wet. So, how do the Jazz (32-24) match up against them? The past two games featuring these two have been decided by a total of six points. Not to open an old wound, but the first was this one:


The second was this one:

DeMarcus Cousins just killed Kuzma pic.twitter.com/wXxUmYAHO2

— La Sueur (@lasueur_off) February 3, 2019​

Game Info


When: Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2019 • 8:30 PM MT

Where: Oracle Arena • Oakland, CA

TV: TNT, AT&T Sports Net – Rocky Mountain

Radio: 97.5 FM | 1280 AM The Zone

Injuries:


Utah Jazz:

Dante Exum – Left Ankle Sprain – OUT

Thabo Sefolosha – Right Hamstring – OUT

Tony Bradley – Right Knee Surgery – OUT

Golden State Warriors:

Draymond Green — Tiny Heart Syndrome — Gametime Decision

Draymond Green questionable tonight vs Jazz (and Gobert) with a right knee contusion.

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 12, 2019​

Andre Iguodala — DAY-TO-DAY, hamstring

What to Watch For:

Who Controls the Paint?


There is one variable this time that wasn’t there last time: DeMarcus Cousins. Before he returned from injury, Golden State didn’t have much of a presence inside, and why should they? They have scorching outside talent, including 7-foot Kevin Durant. Now, though, they seem to have the final Infinity Stone. (Look, nerds, I know there are six. But only five dudes on the basketball court. So there.)

DeMarcus Cousins just killed Kuzma pic.twitter.com/wXxUmYAHO2

— La Sueur (@lasueur_off) February 3, 2019​

Now the Warriors have yet another weapon to keep Rudy Gobert busy. Now, historically Rudy has owned Boogie, but not with the same level of players surrounding him. It will be interesting to see who rules the paint tonight.

Fatigue Factor:


Yes, the Warriors are a superteam, and probably the best team ever assembled. But even superteams get tired, and the Warriors have had to stage double-digit comebacks against the Suns and Heat, respectively, in the last two games. If the Jazz can jump out to a lead early, they may have an easier time keeping it than usual.

Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

GO JAZZ GO!

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