An interconference showdown of two teams coming off loses will take place today, Saturday, when the Indiana Pacers visit the Utah Jazz at the EnergySolutions Arena.
The game versus Utah later today will be the last of a three-game road trip for Indiana, which fell to the Portland Trail Blazers last Thursday, 123–111.
Leading the Pacers in the defeat was forward C.J. Miles who had 27 points, six rebounds, one steal, and one block.
Following Miles was point guard George Hill who tallied 18 points, one rebound, and three assists.
Along with Hill, another playmaker also shone in reserve Rodney Stuckey who had 17 points, five rebounds, six assists, and three steals.
The great performances from those three were still not enough for Indiana to seal the win, especially with their best player being limited against Portland.
Pacers star forward Paul George, who was named Eastern Conference Player of the Month (October–November), was limited by the Blazers' defense to only 11 points, very far from his average of 26.5 points per contest this season.
The defeat gave the Pacers a 12–6 record, still good enough for the third spot in the Eastern Conference standings.
Meanwhile, the Jazz will head to the match aiming to snap a two-game losing streak, which were suffered against the Golden State Warriors (106–103) and the Orlando Magic (103–94).
In the loss to the Magic, forward Gordon Hayward emerged for Utah, scoring 24 points, also having five rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
Hayward got help from the bench and it came from guard Alec Burks who contributed 21 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two blocks.
Jazz big man Derrick Favors had a double-double 12 points with 10 boards that came along with two assists, one steal, and one block.
Utah now has an 8–9 record after the loss to the Magic. Still, they are on the seventh spot in the Western Conference standings.
The game between the Pacers and Jazz is scheduled today, Dec. 5, at 9 p.m. EST. To watch via live stream, click here.
