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 Denver • I'm at DIA, waiting to fly back to Salt Lake City and trying not to spill guacamole on my laptop keyboard, so as far as I'm concerned the Jazz just played Game 1 of a six-game road trip. After tonight's game against the Bucks, the Jazz will leave Monday for games at Memphis, Boston, Philly and Brooklyn, the last major road swing of the year. The Bucks just loss to the Lakers last night. The Jazz know how motivating that can be. A couple quick thoughts before I board: • Last time the Bucks won in Salt Lake City, Milwaukee assistant coach Greg Foster was playing for the Jazz: 12 losses since Oct. 30, 2001. • Rudy Gobert has scored double-figures (16, 10) in back-to-back games, which at this point is a great bonus. "The biggest thing for Rudy is just to know who he is and he's going to keep getting better offensively," coach Quin Snyder says. "He's a good offensive player when he's passing the ball, when he's playing to his strengths and finishing. Those are the things that we want him to continue to do." Gobert's hands seems to be improving; regardless of whether his fast-break dunk against the Lakers was a travel (even he admitted it might have been), he still caught the ball and flushed it. Gobert says his teammates are figuring out where he wants the ball. "He's also running a lot more and a lot better," Gordon Hayward says. "… He's definitely in the right spot. That's the biggest thing for him: getting in the right spot, rolling hard to the rim and being ready for the ball." • Matt's right … 

What's been lost in the Gob-era is just how much Favors has improved. He is consistently good/great every night. #UTAatDEN

— Matt Sanchez (@_MattSanchez) February 28, 2015  • The Bucks are the second best defense in the league, behind only Golden State. They're also the best at forcing turnovers (17.2 per game; tied with Philly). Keep an eye on that. The Jazz have been turnover happy this year and Hayward's committed 13 of them in his last two games. • Part of the Buck's defensive success has been the play of Khris Middleton, who has become a not-so-secret talent. 

Uh oh. Khris Middleton getting love at #SSAC15. He's going to get expensive. "He's the new Shane [Battier]!" - @dmorey

— Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) February 27, 2015  Middleton boast's Milwaukee's best defensive rating; teams score an average of 95 points per 100 possessions when he's on the floor. • The Greek Freak might be a star, but Milwaukee has nice pieces elsewhere. John Henson is averaging 7.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. He likes to use a little hook shot in the paint. • Michael Carter-Williams is averaging 7.5 point (54.4 eFG) and six assists in his two games since being traded to Milwaukee. His 3-point shooting is questionable at best, but I love the point guard's size and am super interested to see what he can become under Jason Kidd, and surrounded by more talent than he was in Philly. — Aaron Falk