The Utah Jazz are 4-4 on the season but have lost two straight, and the Orlando Magic can get a victory if Evan Fournier is able to slow Gordon Hayward.
Time/TV:
7 p.m./FSFlorida
Line:
Jazz by 1.5
Tickets:Season Series:
Tonight in Orlando; Dec. 3 in Salt Lake City
| Pace | Off. Rtg. | Def. Rtg. | eFG% | O.Reb.% | TO% | FTR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utah | 95.0 | 100.5 | 94.9 | 46.9 | 26.6 | 13.7 | 27.7 |
| Orlando | 99.1 | 98.4 | 99.0 | 47.6 | 26.0 | 15.3 | 21.2 |
Gordon Hayward could reasonably fall into the “underrated” category, loathe as I am to use the word.
Last season the 6-foot-8 Butler product averaged 19.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game, while the Utah Jazz fell shy of the postseason. Only astute watchers of NBA League Pass seem familiarized with just how good Hayward actually is.
It is a pity, too, because Hayward likely has just what is needed to shine on the biggest stage should Utah make the 2016 Playoffs.
As it is though, this year the Jazz still face an uphill battle to make the postseason in the loaded West. Getting a win tonight against Orlando would put Utah back above the .500 mark, as Orlando looks to match the .500 mark for the first time since November 2013 with a win.
This season in 34.3 minutes a night, Hayward is averaging 16.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. He has struggled shooting the ball, hitting just 39.5 percent from the floor and 31 percent from three. Hayward was just 7 of 21 from the floor in the loss to the Miami Heat on Thursday. He finished with 24 points, 11 rebounds and three assists, though.
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Hayward will test Evan Fournier frequently, and without Victor Oladipo in the lineup Scott Skiles will have less options to throw at Hayward.
Fournier should be up to the task.
He leads the Magic in scoring with 18.7 points per game, and he is grabbing four rebounds while dishing out 2.7 assists per game. He has been Orlando’s most reliable offensive weapon and he is shooting 38.2 percent on 6.1 threes attempted per game.
What is more, is Fournier has played more than 40 minutes in each of the past three Magic games, and he is going to be on the court. He seems to have Scott Skiles’ complete trust.
The Magic will be asking a lot of Fournier to both chase Hayward and provide his usual boost offensively, but this is where contracts are earned, and reasonably Fournier could push for the kind of money Hayward got when he signed his $15 million a year deal last summer.
The two are very comparable talents, even if their styles of play differ a little.
Hayward is a better athlete than Fournier, but that is one of his few advantages. The two will spar head on for most of the evening, though Aaron Gordon and Tobias Harris may see some time on Hayward if Scott Skiles feels like experimenting with Orlando’s other versatile defenders.
Rudy Gobert is questionable with an ankle injury, and if he is unable to go that will leave the rim a little more open for Fournier’s penetration.