Gordon Hayward’s return has been a big boost for the Jazz, who head into tonight’s game looking to rebound from a loss to the red-hot Hornets on Wednesday.
The Butler product missed the first six games of the season because of a broken finger, but since suiting up last weekend, Hayward’s led the offense for the team, scoring 25.7 points to go along with 6.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists in three contests. He was on fire in the game versus Charlotte, going 10 of 19 from the field for a season-best 29 points.
Rodney Hood, meanwhile, poured in 20 points, including four three-pointers, in the same game. He’s now scored at least 19 or more points in every game thus far.
Overall, though, Utah’s offense isn’t exactly piling up the points enough, ranking just 24th in the league. The team’s defense has been the ultimate reason why the Jazz are above .500 right now, as opponents are averaging 95.4 points (2nd-fewest) against them.
Orlando hasn’t really capitalized on playing at home, winning just two of its four games (1-3 ATS) there so far. The problem of the team is rooted on its defense, which has given up 102 points or more in all but one game this season, including 123 points in the loss to Minnesota on Wednesday night.
This should come as a shock for many because the Magic have a pair of reputable rim-protectors in Serge Ibaka and Bismack Biyombo clogging the attacking lanes. But the entire team itself has yet to consistently find themselves on the same page—something that head coach Frank Vogel hopes to solve as soon as possible.
The Magic have also struggled to get buckets. They’re collecting just 94.6 points per game, with Evan Fournier (16.9 PPG) and Nikola Vucevic (13.8 PPG) as their leading point-getters. The two scored, 13 and 24 points, respectively, in the game against the T-Wolves. It will likely take more than that for Orlando to overcome Utah’s rock-solid defense, however.
