Utah faces Toronto, seeks 4th straight victory
Thu, Jan 11, 2024
NBA News (AP)
Toronto Raptors (15-23, 12th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Utah Jazz (19-20, 11th in the Western Conference)
Salt Lake City; Friday, 9:30 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Utah comes into a matchup against Toronto as winners of three games in a row.
The Jazz have gone 12-5 at home. Utah is 10-16 against opponents over .500.
The Raptors are 6-14 on the road. Toronto ranks fifth in the Eastern Conference with 11.4 offensive rebounds per game led by Jakob Poeltl averaging 2.8.
The Jazz's 13.1 made 3-pointers per game this season are just 0.2 fewer made shots on average than the 13.3 per game the Raptors give up. The Raptors are shooting 48.5% from the field, 0.8% higher than the 47.7% the Jazz's opponents have shot this season.
The teams meet for the second time this season. In the last matchup on Dec. 24 the Jazz won 126-119 led by 30 points from Lauri Markkanen, while Scottie Barnes scored 32 points for the Raptors.
TOP PERFORMERS: Markkanen is averaging 23.6 points and 8.8 rebounds for the Jazz. Jordan Clarkson is averaging 19.7 points over the last 10 games for Utah.
Barnes is averaging 20.4 points, 8.6 rebounds and 5.8 assists for the Raptors. Dennis Schroder is averaging 15.6 points over the last 10 games for Toronto.
LAST 10 GAMES: Jazz: 8-2, averaging 123.2 points, 46.7 rebounds, 31.0 assists, 7.7 steals and 5.7 blocks per game while shooting 49.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 115.8 points per game.
Raptors: 4-6, averaging 125.0 points, 41.2 rebounds, 31.7 assists, 7.2 steals and 5.3 blocks per game while shooting 52.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 122.0 points.
INJURIES: Jazz: None listed.
Raptors: Jakob Poeltl: out (ankle), Pascal Siakam: out (back), Otto Porter Jr.: out (knee), Christian Koloko: out (respiratory).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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