The Golden State Warriors host the Utah Jazz in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinals series on Tuesday. Even though the Warriors are heavily favored, the Jazz are coming off a thrilling series win over the Clippers - and have shown they have the defensive capabilities to test Golden State. Which team will draw first blood in this series? Here's our preview and prediction for tonight's game.
Game Info:
When: 10:30 PM EST
Where: Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA
TV: TNT
Spread: Warriors (-13.5)
O/U: 207
What They're Saying About The Golden State Warriors:
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What They're Saying About The Utah Jazz:
The Evolution of Gordon Hayward
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Rudy Gobert Will be a Huge Factor for Utah Jazz in Round Two
Key To The Game: Can Utah limit Golden State's wing production?
The Jazz are an excellent defensive team, largely thanks to center Rudy Gobert, his ability to defend the paint and the rim, and how he allows Utah to take chances on the perimeter. His presence will change Golden State's drives, but at their core, the Warriors are a perimeter team who mostly slash to get shooters open instead of attacking the rim in the traditional sense. We've seen so many times how lethal Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green can be - we don't need to go into that again.
For their part, Utah has plenty of scoring options on the wing as well. Gordon Hayward is an All-Star, Joe Johnson was the MVP of their series against the Clippers, George Hill has loads of playoff experience and even Rodney Hood has four games this postseason with double-digit point totals. Throw in Joe Ingles' defense, and that's a pretty good group.
Obviously, they don't have the scoring power to match the Warriors offensively, so in order for them to have success, they need to limit Durant, Curry & Co.'s production. Expect them to play pressure defense to try and force Golden State inside the three-point line and into Gobert in order to accomplish that goal. Will that strategy work, or will the Warriors continue to have success?
Prediction: Warriors win 116-102
Utah has enough versatility - and enough Gobert - to make this game more interesting than it should be. However, because this one is at Oracle, Golden State will reel off several of their patented runs that will be the difference in the game.