Boston Celtics vs Utah Jazz Prediction: Combined starting 5 featuring Jayson Tatum and Donovan Mitchell

The Boston Celtics will finish their five-game trip against Western Conference teams with a match against the current best squad in the NBA, the Utah Jazz.

The 19-5 Jazz will host Brad Stevens' team at Vivint Smart Home Arena on February 9th as they look for their fifth straight win.

Boston Celtics vs Utah Jazz Prediction: Combined starting 5

After starting the season with a 4-4 record, the Utah Jazz now have 15 wins in their last 16 games. Their incredible streak started after a win against the Milwaukee Bucks on the road. 10 consecutive wins followed, and they have been in elite form ever since.

Quin Snyder's Utah Jazz rank fourth in Offensive Rating and third in Defensive Rating out of the 20 NBA teams.

Meanwhile, injuries, NBA health protocols and an inability to close out games have held the Boston Celtics back a bit this year.

The Celtics are 12-10 in the 2020-21 NBA season and rank fourth in the Eastern Conference behind the Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, and Milwaukee Bucks.

Donovan Mitchell clearly stands out as the Utah Jazz's best player. Meanwhile, Jaylen Brown is a key player for the Boston Celtics. However, he is day-to-day and missed the last two games due to knee issues.

In this article, we attempt to create a combined starting five featuring players from the Boston Celtics and the Utah Jazz.

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Guard - Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz)

Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz.

Donovan Mitchell is an essential piece for Quin Snyder's puzzle. The guard is a good scorer and a dynamic player who has shown he can lead the Utah Jazz in the biggest stages.

Mitchell is currently leading the team in scoring (23.5 PPG) and is second in assists per game (4.4).

Mitchell had a rocky start to the season offensively. However, since the Utah Jazz began their hot streak in the second week of January, the 24-year-old has been averaging 25 points per night while making 47% of his field goals and 48% of his three-pointers (in 14 games).

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Guard - Jordan Clarkson (Utah Jazz)

Facundo Campazzo #7 of the Denver Nuggets defends against Jordan Clarkson #00 of the Utah Jazz.

Jordan Clarkson might be running away with the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award and is a player that the Boston Celtics should pay lots of attention to in the upcoming game.

Clarkson is a crafty scorer and provides the Utah Jazz with instant production off the bench.

Clarkson has been efficient for the Utah Jazz since he arrived last year. In the current campaign, he is averaging 17.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, two assists and a steal per game. Moreover, he is putting tremendous shooting splits of 46/39/97.

Forward - Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics)

Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics.

Jaylen Brown's game has taken another step in the right direction in the 2020-21 NBA season. Though his status for the game against Utah is day-to-day, he makes the cut in this lineup.

The 24-year-old has done a great job for the team offensively. He has shown progress in the last few seasons and averaged 20 points per night last season.

Brown is now posting 26 points per game as well as career-highs in field-goal percentage (52%), 3P percentage (42%), and free-throw shooting (76%).

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Forward - Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics)

Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics.

Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum continues to show huge progression in his basketball skills year after year.

The 22-year-old is currently averaging a career-high 27 points per game and has been consistently upgrading his average of points per game each year.

Tatum is also turning into a good playmaker and is averaging a career-best 4.1 assists per night. He keeps rebounding at a good rate (seven per game) and is an opportunistic defender (1.4 steals per game).

Tatum is also putting up shooting splits of 47/42/85 in the 2020-21 NBA campaign.

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Center - Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz)

Rudy Gobert #27 of the Utah Jazz.

Rudy Gobert is a strong candidate for the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award.

The two-time DPOY winner is one of the league's best rim protectors and continues to be an efficient defender and a good finisher around the rim.

Gobert is averaging a solid double-double with 13.3 points and 13.5 rebounds per game (third-best in the NBA in rebounding). Moreover, the Utah Jazz center is at 2.7 blocks per match and ranks second in the NBA in that department.

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