3 Keys for Utah Jazz to Win First NBA Cup Game vs. Phoenix Suns

During their most recent meeting vs. the Suns, Utah came up short of winning the turnover battle, 14-19 to Phoenix, but ended up grinding out a 138-134 overtime win in order to overcome those excessive giveaways on the offensive end.

But heading into their second matchup of the year vs. Phoenix, the turnovers have to scale down a bit to find that consistent success offensively

 Those giveaways have been a pesky problem for the Jazz across the past two seasons, and through four games of the year, they're ranked top three in turnovers per game, behind only the LA Lakers and LA Clippers. During their most recent showing against the Portland Trail Blazers, the Jazz had a staggering 21 of them.

To win consistently in the NBA, you have to come out successful in the turnover battle. That won't change in the NBA Cup, and it'll be a key focus for Will Hardy and the Jazz offense.

2. Dominate the Glass... Again

One aspect that the Jazz took clear control of against the Suns in game three of the season was their effective work on the boards. Utah's lengthy frontcourt out-rebounded Phoenix 64-48, maintaining that effort on both sides of the ball, and had three players hauling in 11-plus boards individually.

The Jazz will need to continue to use that overwhelming size to their advantage for a win in this one, which means the work on the glass will have to show similar shades of their last meeting vs. Phoenix–– and that turned out pretty well for them in their overtime victory.

Look for the combination of Lauri Markkanen, Kyle Filipowski, and Walker Kessler to contribute their fair share, along with Jusuf Nurkic off the bench, who had 13 boards in their last meeting vs. the Suns.

3. Another Lauri Markkanen Masterclass?

One of the players with the biggest spotlight in this one will, of course, be Jazz star Lauri Markkanen, who posted a historic 51-point performance against the Suns in Utah's third game of the season, and could have the perfect chance at an encore in game one of their NBA Cup run.

This time, it won't be in the Delta Center, and the Suns will almost certainly be keying in on the Jazz star to not let a repeat happen

 But Markkanen should still be a force on the drive as a high-end finisher or to create contact as he did vs. Phoenix (17/17 on free throws), shot over 40% from three with six makes, and has a sheer size advantage over the Suns' frontcourt and lackluster defense that could create another challenging mismatch to cover.

50-plus might be a pretty steep expectation, but don't be surprised if Markkanen starts off his NBA Cup slate off on a high note against a favorable matchup.

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