The New Year’s Day NBA schedule will get underway with a matchup between the Utah Jazz and Toronto Raptors from Scotiabank Arena.
The Jazz are a game below .500 overall and trail San Antonio by two games for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. On Saturday, Utah built a 37-point halftime lead and cruised to a 129-97 home victory versus New York. The Jazz out rebounded the Knicks by a 64-39 margin and shot 55 percent from the field.
Utah C Rudy Gobert led all scorers with 25 points on 10-for-12 shooting and pulled down 16 rebounds. Derrick Favors chipped in 12 points and ten rebounds for the Jazz.
The Toronto Raptors have won 27 of their first 38 games and are a half game behind Milwaukee for the best record in the league. On Sunday, Toronto overcame a slow start to rebound for a 95-89 home victory versus Chicago. The Raptors won the battle on the boards by a 59-50 margin and forced 18 turnovers on the evening.
Toronto F Kawhi Leonard tallied a game high 27 points on 8-for-22 from the field and grabbed nine rebounds. Pascal Siakam contributed 20 points and 12 rebounds for the Raptors.
