This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
As the season eclipses the quarter-pole mark, the Utah Jazz play their 21st game against the Denver Nuggets.
For Jazz coach Quin Snyder, his main focus is to get the roster completely healthy, something that hasn't happened for two years. More than the physical health, Snyder wants to know who this team is and what he can and can't do with his roster.
That hasn't been possible yet this season with all of the injuries.
"We've had a tough go of it with those things," Snyder said. "Because of the injuries, it's tough to define what is normal for us."
A couple of things Snyder wants to see: Better starts in the first quarter, better defense down the stretch, and better play at the point guard spot when George Hill is out.
Hill will miss his 10th game on Saturday night. The Jazz are 3-6 without him in the lineup, and unbeaten when he and Gordon Hayward both play.
With Hill on the sidelines, the offense isn't as efficient, and the defense on the perimeter hasn't been as good.
"I don't think we've always started games with a level of determination and physicality," Snyder said. "So maybe we're finding that a little better in the second half. Hopefully we can continue to and back that up and play better in the first half, too."
• Jazz shooting guard Rodney Hood will play against the Nuggets tonight. He missed Thursday night's loss to the Miami Heat with a strained hamstring, and was a gametime decision for Saturday night. Hood went through shootaround on Saturday morning. He went through his normal warmup on Saturday night, and was labeled good to go.