Jazz vs Spurs Preview

*Flashback*

On December 7th, the Jazz seemed to do everything right... but it wasn't quite enough.

The Jazz out rebounded the spurs by 4. They outscored them in the paint 54-20. They held the Spurs to 43.8% shooting. They shot at a 54.2% clip. Boozer and Williams had 28 points apiece. Boozer had 17 rebounds and Williams had 10 assists. And somehow, the Spurs managed a 6 point win.

The Jazz led the entire game, though admittedly, it was a slim lead. The Jazz, however, could not finish out the game, and the Spurs pulled ahead in the fourth quarter.

*End of Flashback*

Hopefully the home court will give the Jazz that extra push they need to get a win over the Spurs tonight. In that December game, Tim Duncan was out with an injured foot. He's back and in proper form, which could significantly cut Boozer's productivity.

Kyle Korver is coming off his best game with the Jazz this season, and the Jazz will look to him to help match the outside shooting of this Spurs team.

It will be a difficult one, but tonight's game is a must-win. What's at stake? Well, the Northwest Division is VERY competitive this season. The Jazz are tied with the Blazers, and both teams are a half game behind the Nuggets. Denver will play the red-hot New Orleans Hornets tonight, who have won 8 straight games, and are currently leading the Western Conference. Therefore, if the Jazz win tonight, and the Nuggets lose tonight, the Jazz will finally find themselves on top of their division, and on their way to a playoff seed. Of course, it's still too early in the season to be speculating on such things... still.