Game 51 Preview: Utah Jazz (26-23) at Nets (16-34)

Will D-Will step up against his old team? Well, if he doesn't, the Nets probably won win their  2nd-straight home game.

In an attempt to win consecutive home games for the first time this season, the Nets will try to defeat the upstart Utah Jazz, a team that is surprisingly stuck right in the middle of the Western Conference playoff race. Of course, there is added intrigue for tonight's contest as it will be the first time that former Nets Derrick Favors and Devin Harris, who were traded to Utah from the Nets last February (a year ago) for Deron Williams, are going to play at the Prudential Center since the trade. More importantly, D-Will will be playing the team that drafted him in 2005 and the team that he played on for six seasons prior to coming to the Nets. It's always big news when stars play their former teams.

Background on Utah

The Jazz are a very different team from the Nets as they focus very much on interior scoring and defense while the Nets score most of their points from outside of the paint and don't play very much defense. Utah also doesn't turn the ball over much, as they are tied for 6th in the NBA in that category. On the other hand, the Nets are 20th in turnovers per game in the league. I guess it's fair to say that the Jazz as a fundamental-based team which can definitely not be used to describe New Jersey. The Jazz might not have a ton of flash or starpower but playing the game the right way and not making any stupid mistakes can take teams very far and help them win games, especially against a poor team like the Nets.

Previous Game

In one of the most thrilling games so far this season, the Jazz lost a 4-OT game in Atlanta to the Hawks. A 4-OT game hadn't been played in the NBA since 1997 prior to last night and it was very close to not even getting that far as Utah had multiple chances to end the game in regulation and in the earlier overtimes. Paul Millsap (25 points and 13 boards) missed a few makable mid-range jumper as time expired in the 4th quarter and 3rd overtime while Devin Harris (11 points and 10 assists) couldn't drain a pair of long-range jumpers with game-winning implications after the 1st and 2nd OT periods. In the end, Joe Johnson and his 37 points just proved to be too much and hit clutch shot after clutch shot to extend the game and pull out with the lead in the 4th overtime.

The Nets played a much less exciting game on Saturday night as they defeated the worst team in the NBA, also known as the Charlotte Bobcats in a relative blowout. After running out to a 10-3 lead early in the 1st quarter, the Nets never looked back and even extending their lead to as much as 26 in the 3rd quarter, a quarter in which they outscored the Bobcats by a margin of 33-16. Charlotte cut the deficit by a little bit in the 4th but it was too little, too late for Michael Jordan's team. Kris Humphries broke out of his mini-slump with a 20-point, 16-rebound mastery of a performance and was helped out by solid games from Shelden Williams, D-Will, and Gerald Wallace.

Probable Lineups 

UTA- Devin Harris (PG), Hayward (SG), Miles (SF), Millsap (PF), Al Jefferson (C)

NJN- D.Williams (PG), Brooks (SG), Wallace (SF), Humphries (PF), She. Williams (C)

Three Keys to a Nets Victory

1. Contain Millsap and Jefferson- These guys are basically Utah's whole offense and stopping them will be a tough, yet crucial task.

2. Limit second-chance possessions- Duh. The Nets never do this but if they tried, they might win a home game once in awhile. 

3. Let them shoot from behind the arc- The Jazz stink when shooting threes and are 2nd-worst in the NBA at them. I'll be fine with letting Devin Harris shoot four 3-pointers tonight, I know that he probably won't hit any of them.