Preview: Pacers face Bogdanovic for the first time in a Jazz uniform
The Pacers ride a 3-game winning streak into their game against the Utah Jazz. The match-up includes the return of Bojan Bogdonavic for the first time.
The Pacers (10-6) will welcome the Utah Jazz to Indianapolis tonight. The match-up will feature the first time former Pacer Bojan Bogdanovic has faced the blue and gold since his departure this summer. The Pacer will also be looking to extend their 3-game winning streak before celebrating Thanksgiving with their families.
The Jazz (11-6) come in tied for the fourth best record in the west, in large part to the addition of Bogdanovic. Since Donovan Mitchell‘s breakout rookie campaign, Utah has struggled, at times, due to the lack of a secondary playmaker. Bogdanovic has built upon the numbers from last year following Victor Oladipo‘s injury and is currently averaging 20.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.2 assists on 45.9 percent shooting from long range, all career highs.
The other big addition Utah made this summer was trading for Indianapolis native Mike Conley. The lefty point guard spent the previous 12 seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies, but with the Grit and Grind era coming to an end, Memphis decided to move on from its all-time leader in several categories. Conley hoped the new scenery would help him collect his first All-Star appearance, but his struggles thus far have likely ended that campaign.
The Pacers swept last year’s season series against the Jazz and will hope to duplicate that success tonight. This will be one of the better tests so far this season for Pacers to see where they stand in association to team’s with title aspirations. Against both the Houston Rockets and Milwaukee Bucks, the two elite teams that have appeared on the schedule so far, the Pacers left with losses.
Although these games won’t show as much about this team until Oladipo returns from his injury, it’s important to be rolling when the masked singer makes his debut. Winning seven of the last ten is a good start, but winning against one of the stingiest defenses and the back-to-back defensive player of the year would be another thing to be thankful for.