Utah Jazz vs Indiana Pacers Prediction & Match Preview - January 8th, 2022 | NBA Season 2021-22

The Utah Jazz will head to Gainbridge Fieldhouse Arena for a matchup against the Indiana Pacers on Saturday, January 8. In an earlier game between the two teams this season, the Pacers were the team that prevailed. Malcolm Brogdon led the way for the Pacers on that night as he scored 30 points in the 37 minutes he played.

The Jazz have gone on to play a lot better since facing that defeat, but will be concerned once again at their current run. Prior to going 2-2 in their last four games, Utah were on a six-game win streak.

The Jazz suddenly find themselves in the middle of an injury crisis. A bunch of their starters are out due to injuries or COVID protocols, which seems to have affected their on-court performance. Nevertheless, the team will embark on this road trip wanting to give it their all, so as to get back to winning ways once again.

However, their opponents are an Indiana Pacers team that will most likely welcome back the likes of Malcolm Brogdon and Chris Duarte. The Pacers have now lost six games in a row, which is not a great sign for a team that entered the season with playoff aspirations. Heading into this game, Indiana will be hoping to snap their losing streak and get their campaign back on track.

Match Details

Fixture: Utah Jazz vs Indiana Pacers | NBA Season 2021-22

Date & Time: Saturday, January 8, 8:00 PM ET [Sunday, January 9, 5:30 AM IST]

Venue: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN

Utah Jazz Preview

Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz is suffering from a lower back injury

The Utah Jazz have been a brilliant team to watch this season. They are currently the third seed in the West and hold a 28-11 record. In their most recent game against the Raptors, the team looked really solid in the first half.

However, Fred VanVleet showed up for the Raptors and took over proceedings in the second half to lead his team to an easy 108-122 win. All the Jazz players put in a great effort, but the lack of firepower resulted in their eleventh loss of the season. Utah will now be hoping to correct all the mistakes they made against Toronto and put in a complete effort to grab a win on the road.

Key Player - Eric Paschall

Eric Paschall has averaged only 11.4 minutes per game this season. This is the least he has ever averaged in his short career so far. But during this time of adversity, Paschall has truly stepped up and shown his brilliance. The third-year player scored 29 points on 47.6% shooting against the Raptors.

With many of their stars ruled out for the game against Indiana, the Jazz will once again look to Paschall to put on a big performance, hopefully leading the team to victory this go-around.

Utah Jazz Predicted Lineup

G - Jordan Clarkson, G - Trent Forrest, F - Elijah Hughes, F - Eric Paschall, C - Hassan Whiteside

Indiana Pacers Preview

Indiana Pacers v New York Knicks

The Indiana Pacers have had a disappointing campaign so far. Their recent run of form has pushed them to 13th place in the East with a 14-25 record.

Despite having talented players like Domantas Sabonis, Myles Turner and Caris LeVert, the team has not been able to show their true potential and this could be attributed to the health issues the team has faced this season.

Looking at the Eastern Conference, the team still has an outside chance of making it into the play-in tournament. However, they will have to start putting in consistent winning performances, which will require them to be at their best moving forward.

Key Player - Domantas Sabonis

Domantas Sabonis has been a bright spot for the Indiana Pacers this season. The 25 -year -old is currently averaging 18.7 PPG and 11.9 RPG in 38 appearances. His presence in the paint has been massive, however, due to the lack of support he has received from teammates the Pacers have ultimately suffered this season.

Sabonis had a triple double against the Nets, where he scored 32 points on an incredible shooting efficeny of 76.9%. The two-time NBA All-Star will be looking to put on a repeat performance against the Jazz in order to come away with the win.

Indiana Pacers Predicted Lineup

G - Malcolm Brogdon, G - Chris Duarte, F - Justin Holiday, F - Myles Turner, C - Domantas Sabonis

Jazz vs Pacers Match Prediction

The Indiana Pacers have one of the worst active losing streaks in the NBA. Considering that the Jazz will be short handed coming into this game, the Pacers should see this as the perfect opportunity to come away with a win and finally snap their losing streak.

Where to watch the Jazz vs Pacers game?

All NBA games will be available to stream live on the official NBA app. The game between the Utah Jazz and the Indiana Pacers will also be locally telecast on AT&T SportsNet and Bally Sports Indiana.