The Atlanta Hawks play host to the Utah Jazz at State Farm Arena on Thursday.

The Jazz (42-29) come into this matchup winning five-straight games, as they're easily playing their best ball of the season right now. In fact, all five of those victories came by at least 16 points apiece, which is simply an unheard of stretch from any team. What's truly scary is just how good their defense is becoming. Utah currently sits top-five in both points allowed and defensive efficiency, as Rudy Gobert is arguably the most dominant rim protector in the NBA. Having him down there is huge but having a playmaker like Donovan Mitchell up top is just as valuable. He's really pulled this offense out of the dumps and that makes this one of the scariest teams in the west heading into the postseason.

The Hawks (24-48) come into this matchup losing six of their last eight games, as they were just eliminated from playoff contention in their most recent defeat. No one expected this team to reach the postseason by any means but it's an interesting note nonetheless. While the losses are obviously disappointing, this team should be ecstatic about where they are right now. Players like Trae Young and John Collins have taken monstrous leaps this season and they appear to be in great hands for the future. Where they reallly need to see some improvement is on the defensive end though. The Hawks have been sitting dead-last in points allowed for the majority of the season and that's something that needs to be weeded out over time if this club is to take another step forward next season.

This is the second and final meeting between these teams, with Utah winning the first matchup at home, 128-112. Atlanta has dominated this series over recent years, winning eight of their last 11 games over Utah dating back five seasons.