Whenever the Jazz and Hornets play, the first story line mentioned is the matchup of terrific point guards from the 2005 draft: New Orleans' Chris Paul and Utah's Deron Williams.
While those two have blossomed into All-Stars (and Paul an MVP candidate) and will be linked forever, tonight's game also could be a Western Finals preview that could affect playoff seeding.
The Hornets are 1 1/2 games ahead of the San Antonio Spurs in both the Southwest Division and West standings. The fourth-seeded Jazz would clinch the Northwest Division with a win or a Denver loss tonight.
The Jazz's hopes of claiming the No. 1 seed dimmed with New Orleans' victory Sunday over Golden State. With five games to play, the Jazz trail the Hornets by 3 1/2 games. "That's a pretty steep hill to climb," Kyle Korver said.
The Hornets are 5-point favorites at WagerWeb.com (over/under: 210.5) thanks to the fact they have won 11 in a row at home and five straight overall. A win tonight would be their franchise-record 55th on the season.
Utah enters on a three-game winning streak but 16-22 on the road and on a two-game losing streak away from Salt Lake City.In addition, Jazz point guard Deron Williams missed practice Monday morning with an upset stomach. But he's expected to play tonight.
And Utah guard Ronnie Brewer returned to practice Sunday, a week after he suffered a strained right groin, and is hopeful of playing.
Brewer has missed three games with the injury and said having two practice days would help him get up to speed before Tuesday. Ronnie Price has started in Brewer's place and averaged 9.3 points in 28.7 minutes.
The Hornets' Paul, meanwhile, is averaging 21.5 points in addition to leading the NBA in assists (11.5) and steals (2.7). In his last two games, Paul posted a triple-double against Golden State and finished with 33 points and 15 assists against New York.
Paul excelled against the Jazz at home on Feb. 29, when he had 24 points and 16 assists in a 110-98 New Orleans victory.
"When you play against the best, it brings out the best in you," he said after that contest.
The Jazz's Williams, meanwhile, is coming off a 16 point, 11 assist game in a win over San Antonio, his 50th double-double of the season.
Williams and the Jazz have taken two of three meetings in the season series with the Hornets, with each game won by the home team. Williams is averaging 21.0 points and 9.3 assists in the season series, while Paul is averaging 15.0 points and 9.3 assists.
The Jazz prevailed 99-71, on Nov. 23 and 110-88 on Feb. 4. The Hornets won the last meeting, 110-98, on Feb. 29.
Betting trends: Utah is 8-1 ATS in its last 9 vs. NBA Southwest. ... Under is 7-1-1 in Utah's last 9 vs. NBA Southwest. ... Hornets are 21-7 ATS in their last 28 home games. ... Over is 9-3-2 in Hornets' last 14 Tue. Games. ... Under is 10-4-1 in Hornets' last 15 vs. NBA Northwest.
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