Dallas Mavericks vs Utah Jazz Prediction & Match Preview - January 27th, 2021 | NBA Season 2020-21
The Utah Jazz will have the chance of topping the Western Conference standings when they host the struggling Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday. The Jazz will be gunning for their 10th consecutive win while the Mavs will be hoping to snap their losing run.
Match Details
Fixture: Dallas Mavericks vs Utah Jazz | NBA Season 2020-21
Date & Time: Wednesday, January 27th, 9 PM ET (Thursday, 7:30 AM IST)
Venue: Vivint Arena, Salt Lake City, UT
Dallas Mavericks Preview
Despite Luka Doncic's best efforts, the Dallas Mavericks have struggled to find consistency in the absence of several players due to the health and safety protocols. Luckily for Rick Carlisle, the trio of Josh Richardson, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Dwight Powell is expected to return against the Utah Jazz.
Kristaps Porzingis is finally getting up to speed after missing the early few weeks of the season. He's averaging 21.6 points and 8.8 rebounds across his last five games for the Dallas Mavericks. Third-year player Jalen Brunson is also making the most of his expanded role and managing 12.2 points on 52.3% shooting.
Key Player - Luka Doncic
After a slow start, Luka Doncic is back to his near triple-double exploits by averaging 27.3 points, 9.9 assists, and 9.8 rebounds so far. Doncic is finally back in shape and will be hoping to rekindle the same chemistry with Porzingis that saw the Dallas Mavericks dominate proceedings last season.
Dallas Mavericks Predicted Lineup
G Luka Doncic, G Dorian Finney-Smith, F Josh Richardson, F Kristaps Porzingis, C Willie Caulie-Stein
Utah Jazz Preview
The Utah Jazz displayed their mettle in the previous outing against the New York Knicks where they converted a 15-point deficit into a blowout win. Quin Snyder's men stepped up the intensity on both ends of the court even with Donovan Mitchell struggling to keep their winning run going.
Jordan Clarkson is the early favorite for Sixth Man of the Year while Mike Conley is having a comeback year. Royce O'Neale is also impacting proceedings on both ends of the court for Utah Jazz and had a career-high 20 points against the Knicks. Despite suffering the occasional hiccups, Mitchell is the go-to star for the team.
Key Player - Rudy Gobert
Rudy Gobert may not score 25 points daily but he does just enough for the Utah Jazz to dominate the paint on each night. He's averaging 13.5 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game, both career-highs. Gobert will play a pivotal role in containing the Dallas Mavericks' Porzingis and Doncic, both of whom love attacking the rim.
Utah Jazz Predicted Lineup
G Mike Conley, G Donovan Mitchell, F Bojan Bogdanovic, F Royce O'Neale, C Rudy Gobert
Mavericks vs Jazz Match Prediction
The Dallas Mavericks will be buoyed by the return of three key players but they're likely to be rusty considering they spent roughly three weeks in quarantine. The Utah Jazz, meanwhile, are putting their foot down on both defense and offense to dominate games. Expect Mitchell and co. to reign supreme in this tie.
Where to watch Mavericks vs Jazz?
Local coverage of this matchup will be available on FOX Sports Southwest and AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain. You can also live stream the same via the NBA League Pass.
Also read: OKC Thunder vs Phoenix Suns Prediction & Match Preview - January 27th, 2021 | NBA 2020-21