Last time out, Utah cruised to a win, putting the game away partway through the third quarter. The Jazz seemed to finally figure out how to play with a big lead, as they kept their foot on the gas pedal and didn’t let up. It was an encouraging sign.
This time around won’t be so easy. Gregg Popovich is one of the all time greats among NBA coaches (arguably the greatest ever), and won’t stand for his team mailing in another performance like that. This game will be much tougher, much closer, and probably more chippy.