New York @ Utah preview
Delta Center
Last Meeting ( Jan 26, 2021 ) New York 94, Utah 108
For a variety of reasons, the Utah Jazz have not been themselves for the early part of the calendar year 2022.
Injuries, illnesses and subpar play have taken a toll on the team that led the league in wins in 2020-21 with 52.
As they prepare to take on the New York Knicks at Salt Lake City on Monday, the Jazz are getting closer to full strength -- at least their new full strength without Joe Ingles, who recently suffered season-ending knee damage.
Coach Quin Snyder has returned to the helm after being sidelined with COVID-19. Donovan Mitchell returned from concussion protocol with a bang Friday, leading the Jazz past the Brooklyn Nets 125-102 with 27 points on 8-of-10 shooting and six assists.
And Rudy Gobert, Jordan Clarkson, Rudy Gay and Danuel House Jr. all participated to some degree in practice on Sunday after missing games for health reasons.
The Jazz, who went 4-12 in January, were quickly reminded how vital Mitchell is to their success in his return Friday after an eight-game absence. He played a part in the team's first 12 points, putting the Jazz up by double digits for a lead they didn't relinquish.
"He's Donovan Mitchell," said Jazz center Hassan Whiteside, who's also back after health issues. "He came out hot, he got to his spots. We're a different team when he plays. You can see why he means so much to this team."
Mitchell said his legs felt fresher than they had in a long time.
"Honestly, I was just happy to be playing basketball," Mitchell said. "I was making a joke before the game, I didn't give a damn if the ball went in or not. I was just happy to be out there running around, guarding, thinking the game, just having fun with my teammates."
The Knicks are the third opponent of a six-game homestead for the Jazz, which will be followed by a visit to the Los Angeles Lakers and the All-Star break. They've strung together consecutive wins for the first time in a month after beating Denver and Brooklyn.
New York comes into this matchup on the heels of a heartbreaking 122-115 overtime loss to the Lakers in L.A. on Saturday. The Knicks held a 21-point lead and squandered a career-high 36-point scoring night from RJ Barrett and Julius Randle's double-double of 32 points and 16 rebounds.
The Knicks have now lost eight of 10 games and could use some of the renewed momentum the Jazz recently acquired after going through a similar stretch of 11 losses in 13 games.
"That's a game we should've won," Barrett said. "I felt like overall obviously we played well, but not good enough."
New York is two games into a five-game Western trip that began in L.A. and also includes stops in Denver, Golden State and Portland.
"Just think if we play fast like we did, compete like we did, especially in the first half I feel like we can win and beat anybody," Randle said. "We competed in the first half defensively, getting off. We haven't been getting off to great starts all year, consistently, so we can build off of that. We just have to sustain it."
--Field Level Media