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Rodney Hood is good to go for Thursday's game against the Chicago Bulls. Out sick against Memphis on Monday, he was back at practice on Wednesday without limitation.
That's a good thing for the Jazz. They are going to need all the firepower they can get against Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade.
Those two are wreaking havoc for the Bulls, scoring almost at will, defending fiercely and becoming one of the best wing tandems in the NBA. When Wade defected from the Miami Heat in free agency and joined his hometown team, this is what the Chicago front office envisioned. Their early-season dominance has turned heads around the league.
"They are two terrific players," Utah coach Quin Snyder said. "That's one Hall-Of-Famer and one future Hall-Of-Famer. They are that level of players. Their toughness and their strength is the biggest thing, but they are very smart players. We're going to have to be ready to go at all levels."
On paper, it promises to be an interesting matchup. Utah's strength offensively is in its wing play. Gordon Hayward leads the Jazz at 22.5 points per game, and Hood is averaging 17.4, numbers that would represent career-highs for both players.
Butler and Wade, however, have been a collective force this season for the Bulls. Butler is averaging 24.5 points per game and Wade is second for Chicago at 17.2. They both get to the free throw line often, putting opponents in foul trouble. They have both been very good defensively.
The duo has been the cornerstones to the Bulls' 7-4 start. Chicago has won three consecutive games — the second time the Bulls have done that this season. Their 113-88 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday was their most complete of the season, Chicago coach Fred Hoiberg told reporters afterwards.
"It's going to be a good matchup," Hood said. "They're playing well right now. We're going to have to come in ready to play, and we're going to have to rebound the ball and hold them to one shot."
Almost ready?
Jazz point guard George Hill went through most of practice on Wednesday, only sitting out live scrimmaging. He's missed the last five games with a sprained thumb and is deemed questionable for Thursday. Snyder said Hill is still affected by the thumb, which is on his shooting hand.
"He's aware of it," Snyder said. "He's still not at 100 percent."
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