Utah @ Atlanta preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 21, 2019 ) Utah 114, Atlanta 117

The Atlanta Hawks own the worst record in the Eastern Conference after dropping five in a row and are coming off the most embarrassing loss of the bunch after dropping a 143-120 decision to the New York Knicks on Tuesday. Atlanta will try to plug the holes on the defensive end and snap the slide when it hosts the Utah Jazz on Thursday.

The Hawks allowed 130 or more points in five of the last nine games and let the Knicks, who are last in the NBA in scoring at an average of 102.7 points, shoot 55.8 percent from the floor in Tuesday's setback. "We come here and we didn't hit first," Atlanta coach Lloyd Pierce told reporters. "We played on our heels and we let a lot of things affect our effort. That's the biggest thing I keep talking about, competitive spirit, trying to find that effort, and we don’t have it right now. That's all going to come back to me. I'll never put it on any of our guys. It's going to come back to me, and we've got to find it." The Jazz are winners of three in a row and four of five following a stretch of five losses in six games and finished off a two-game homestand by besting the Orlando Magic 109-102 on Tuesday. "We've got competitors," Utah center Rudy Gobert told reporters. "We know that. We know we've got a lot of pride, and we know we want to be one of the best teams in the world."

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain (Utah), FS Southeast (Atlanta)

ABOUT THE JAZZ (16-11): Utah had two players score 30 or more points in the same game for the first time since 2008 (Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams) when Donovan Mitchell (30) and Bojan Bogdanovic (30) both went off on Tuesday. "It's good to see multiple guys being able to put the ball in the basket," Jazz coach Quin Snyder told reporters. "I think that balance is something that we appreciate and need to take advantage of." That balance stretched into the frontcourt, where Gobert (12 points, 19 rebounds) and Joe Ingles (16 points, 12 boards) each recorded a double-double.

ABOUT THE HAWKS (6-22): Second-year point guard Trae Young remains the team's bright spot and he collected 42 points on 16-of-29 shooting and eight assists against the Knicks. The Oklahoma product is third in the league in scoring at an average of 28.3 points and scored 30 or more in four of the last seven contests but is frustrated with the team's defense. "That's the main thing, effort and energy, especially on the defensive end," Young told reporters. "Giving up 140 points, we’re not going to beat anybody in the league."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Jazz PG Mike Conley (hamstring) returned from a five-game absence on Tuesday but aggravated the injury in the fourth quarter and will miss multiple games.

2. Hawks SG Vince Carter, 42, scored 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting in 24 minutes off the bench on Tuesday.

3. Atlanta took three of the last four meetings, including a 117-114 triumph at home last season.

PREDICTION: Jazz 126, Hawks 109