• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

With long home stretch looming, Jazz look to make move

Jan 8, 2008 - 4:54 PM Indiana (16-19) at Utah (18-17) 9:00 pm EST

SALT LAKE CITY (Ticker) - After playing most of their games in the month of December away from home, the Utah Jazz have to be looking forward to getting reunited with EnergySoultions Arena.

The Jazz begin a stretch of playing eight of their next 11 contests at home when they meet the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday.

Utah raced out to a 13-5 start after a 110-101 win over the Miami Heat on December 3 but has stumbled since, going just 5-12 over the next 17 games. The latest of those road setbacks was Saturday's 103-89 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers in which the Jazz tied a season low in points scored.

Utah hopes to get things turned around as it begins a four-game homestand. The Jazz have played 11 of their last 17 games on the road, where there are just 6-14.

However, the likely absence of Andrei Kirilenko (sore back) will not make things any easier for Utah, which has lost both games this season in which the versatile 6-9 forward has not played.

Conversely, the Pacers are in the midst of a five-game road stretch. Indiana opened the trip with a 112-96 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday - its sixth loss in the last seven games.

The Pacers play eight of their next 10 on the road, where they have dropped five straight. However, Indiana won its previous meeting on November 17 against the Jazz, 117-97, and are looking to sweep the series for the second time in three seasons.