by Regis Aumont
16 of the 30 teams in the North American League will be on the court this Saturday, among them the Utah Jazz which hosts the Boston Celtics to close the day from 2 a.m. In the middle of a road trip on the west coast, the Celtics had started it badly with a surprising defeat in Houston (111-109) but then rectified the situation by winning in Minnesota (102-104) then in Portland, Friday evening (112-126). A match during which the Tatum-Brown duo once again stood out – 61 points between them – and which allowed veteran Al Horford to contribute to the building with a double-double (12 points-10 rebounds) completed with 5 assists. Joe Mazzulla’s men will try in Utah to glean their 50th victory of the season, which would allow them to stay on the heels of the Milwaukee Bucks, leaders of the Eastern Conference.
Jazz side, the hope of hanging the play-in remains. But the trajectory of Lauri Markkanen’s partners (24.5 points and 8.5 rebounds on average this season) is declining. Elevenths in the Western Conference (33V-36D), they have the Lakers, the Thunder and even the Timberwolves in their sights. After a rare four-day break – they have not played since their narrow defeat conceded Monday in Miami despite Markkanen’s 38 points (119-115), Will Hardy’s team could recover Jordan Clarkson, on the flank for four meetings due to a finger injury. The return of leader Colin Sexton is not expected for a week.
