The Utah Jazz (17-20; 21-16-0 ATS) and Milwaukee Bucks (25-11; 15-20-1 ATS) will meet for the first time on Monday night. At 8:00 p.m. EDT, they are scheduled to clash in Milwaukee's Fiserv Forum. The Bucks have a three-game winning streak head-to-head after sweeping last season's series. Will they keep the streak alive, or is Utah determined to get payback this season? Monday's matchup will provide an answer.
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The Jazz went into Philadelphia Saturday night, their second straight day with a road game, and came out on top by 11. Utah is amid a 7-2 stretch, one that has them one game back of the final Western Conference play-in spot. Their stretch has coincided with a fully healthy squad and Lauri Markkanen bringing the offensive rating back up to 22nd in the league. Utah's strength is the league's best offensive rebounding percentage. That helps mask the worst turnover percentage in the NBA and a three-point percentage that ranks 27th. The Jazz shoot 46.0% overall, which is 25th, and the team's true shooting percentage is 23rd. They shoot well from the free throw line but don't get there very often. Still, they're trending up as the Jazz are averaging 121.7 points per game in their last nine.
On the other end, NBA.com has the Jazz ranked 23rd in defensive rating. Forcing turnovers is an issue on this end, while Utah's defensive rebounding is merely average. The Jazz are 19th in field goal percentage against and allow the 26th-most three-point attempts per contest. The team's greatest defensive strength is keeping foes off the free throw line. Holding three of their past five opponents under 110 points is a start, but the Jazz are not intimidating defensively.