Utah Jazz vs San Antonio Spurs Prediction & Match Preview - December 27th, 2021 | NBA Season 2021-22
The Utah Jazz will head on the road to Texas to face off against the San Antonio Spurs at the AT&T Center on December 27th.
The Jazz will head into this game on the back of a 120-116 win against the Dallas Mavericks. With this win, they have improved to 23-9 on the season.
The San Antonio Spurs are also coming off a dominant outing against the Detroit Pistons. With a 144-109 on Sunday, the Spurs find themselves at 14-18 on the season.
Match Details
Fixture - Utah Jazz vs San Antonio Spurs | 2021-22 NBA Season.
Date & Time - Monday, December 27th, 2021; 8:30 PM ET (Tuesday, December 28th, 2021; 7:00 AM IST.)
Venue - AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX.
Utah Jazz Preview
The Utah Jazz are coming off a close win against the Mavericks on Christmas Day. With this win, the Jazz have also managed to extend their winning streak to three games.
As one of the most consistent teams in the league, the Utah Jazz' pairing of offensive stability and defensive integrity has helped the team sustain a great record as they continue to be the third seed on the Western Conference leaderboard.
Donovan Mitchell will not travel on the Jazz’s two game trip to San Antonio and Portland. he’s out with a low back strain and will stay in SLC to get treatment.
The Utah Jazz will however face some setbacks ahead of their next game on the road. Their main man, Donovan Mitchell, is expected to miss the next two games due to a back injury. Mitchell's absence greatly affects Utah's offensive system.
With most of their starting backcourt being sidelined, the Utah Jazz will have to make some significant adjustments for this game, potentially seeing Joe Ingles enter the starting lineup.
Key Player - Rudy Gobert
Rudy Gobert will emerge as a key player for the Utah Jazz in this game against the San Antonio Spurs.
The Frenchman has been one of the most consistent performers for the Utah Jazz this season. Paired with Donovan Mitchell, Gobert's rebounding ability and defensive presence makes him an extremely valuable piece of Utah's roster.
Coming off a performance of 10 points and 11 rebounds against the Dallas Mavericks, Rudy Gobert will play a key role in altering and blocking shots against the San Antonio Spurs.
Clarkson finds Gobert for the jam 🤝 https://t.co/rXTJ02NjRc
While also picking up the scoring in Donovan Mitchell's absence, Gobert will be key in nullifying Jakob Poeltl so that other players in the Utah Jazz can have open looks at the rim.
Utah Jazz Predicted Lineup
G - Mike Conley | G - Joe Ingles | F - Bojan Bogdanovic | F - Royce O'Neal | C - Rudy Gobert
San Antonio Spurs Preview
The San Antonio Spurs have had a difficult start to the season considering the moves made in the offseason. However, over the course of the last 15 games, the Spurs have put up a 10-5 record along with a four-game winning streak and the current three-game winning streak.
Putting up a season-high 144 points in the game against the Detroit Pistons, the San Antonio Spurs have been scoring in bunches in their last two wins. With 138 points recorded in the game against the LA Lakers, the San Antonio Spurs look like a team on a roll offensively.
The Spurs scored 282 points in the last two games.
Last time San Antonio had over 282 total points in back-to-back games: 286 on 4/13 and 4/15 in 1984.
Although the team is on a high, the Spurs will face some setbacks ahead of their next game. With Dejounte Murray being listed out of the game due to medical protocol, the San Antonio Spurs are missing a key player and a solid defender.
Keeping in mind the absence of Murray, the Spurs will have to make up for one of their key contributors in this game.
Key Player - Keldon Johnson
The San Antonio Spurs will look to Keldon Johnson to be their key player in this matchup against the Utah Jazz.
Keldon Johnson is a talented young forward in the Spurs lineup. Often seen playing small forward, Johnson's impact for the San Antonio Spurs' scoring will be key to establishing a flow for the side early on.
Coming off a 27 point outing in the overall scheme of their 144-109 win against the Detroit Pistons, the Spurs will look to Johnson to be a dominant scorer in the absence of Dejounte Murray.
KJ taking it STRONG to the bucket 💪 https://t.co/uPW1ZTGKNS
The 22-year old will most likely start as a shooting guard in this game against Utah. With Doug McDermott available, the Spurs will look to move him to the three while Derrick White moves to the point guard slot.
With Keldon Johnson at shooting guard, the length gives the Spurs a significant advantage on perimeter defense.
San Antonio Spurs Predicted Lineup
G - Derrick White | G - Keldon Johnson | F - Doug McDermott | F - Keita Bates-Diop | C - Jakob Poeltl
Jazz vs Spurs Match Predictions
Although both sides are on a winning streak and seem to have settled into a rhythm, the Utah Jazz are favored to win this game against the San Antonio Spurs.
While the Spurs will enjoy home court advantage, the Utah Jazz' veteran experience, along with the tenacity fostered in them under head coach Quin Snyder, gives the side a major advantage against a younger team such as the San Antonio Spurs.
However, the Spurs have shown themselves to be a team with an impressive work ethic. Should they manage to fall into their schemes early, they may just manage to surprise the Utah Jazz.
Where to watch Jazz vs Spurs game?
The Utah Jazz vs. San Antonio Spurs game will be locally broadcast on Bally Sports Southwest. The game will also be available on the NBA’s League Pass platform. Fans can also listen to the game by tuning into WOAI 1200.