Jazz Host Thunder in Game 4, Looking for 3-1 Series Lead

The Utah Jazz play host to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 4 of the Western Conference first-round playoffs at Vivint Smart Home Arena on Monday. The Thunder (1-2) have looked outmatched in the last two games, as their defense continues to falter. What really changed the tide for Oklahoma City was the loss of Andre Roberson, as they fell from a top-five defense outside of the top-10 since he got injured. That really shows in this series too, as a 19th-ranked Jazz offense is averaging over 108 points per game in this series on over 45 percent shooting. What's also discouraging is just how much Russell Westbrook is struggling with his shot, as he's connecting on just 35 percent of his shots in his last six games. He's also averaging nearly six turnovers a game in that span as well, as his efficiency is clearly hurting his team. It's not like Paul George is shining either though, as he's just 13-of-39 from the field in his last two games, a 33 percent mark. Oklahoma city knew it would be tough against this stifling Utah defense, but they simply won't win this series if their two best players continue to shoot so poorly. The Jazz (2-1) put in a gem of a performance in their 13-point Game 3 win on Saturday, as they recorded 24 assists and hit 53 percent of their shots. Not to mention, they out-rebounded Oklahoma City, 48-33, despite the fact that the Thunder are one of the best rebounding teams in the league. Ricky Rubio was the catalyst in that victory, as he collected 26 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists en route to a triple-double. While he's unlikely to do that again, it just shows how much depth this team possesses. If it's not Rubio, it'll be Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, Joe Ingles or Derrick Favors, as all four of those guys have had sparkling performances in this series as well. That's a scary starting five and it's why the Jazz was one of the best teams in the league over the second half of the season. Coming into this series, Oklahoma City won 10 of their last 12 regular season games over Utah but the Jazz finished the season winning 29 of their final 37 games.

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