The J-Notes
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Utah Jazz Week One Outlook, Predictions

By Jared Woodcox

Oct 19, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Maurice Harkless (4) defends against Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) during the first quarter at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 19, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Maurice Harkless (4) defends against Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) during the first quarter at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 17, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz guard George Hill (3) goes up for a shot in front of Los Angeles Clippers guard Raymond Felton (2) during the second half at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The Jazz won 104-78. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 17, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz guard George Hill (3) goes up for a shot in front of Los Angeles Clippers guard Raymond Felton (2) during the second half at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The Jazz won 104-78. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports /

10/30 Utah at Los Angeles Clippers

2:30 pm MT – Root Sports/League Pass

Opponent record: 0-0

Season series: Tied 0-0 (Jazz won preseason 2-0)

After taking on one Los Angeles team at home on Friday, the Jazz will head to Staples Center to take on the other in a Sunday matinee game against the Clippers. The Jazz looked solid against the Clippers in the preseason winning both games, the second in convincing fashion.

Though LA didn’t play their starters all that much, it was good to see the Jazz’s deep bench players log a convincing win in their second preseason meeting against what will essentially be the Clippers’ second unit. This is especially true considering the way that the Clippers’ reserves bullied the Jazz in their late April meeting last season.

Nevertheless, with games meaning much more and the Clippers fully aware that the Jazz have the potential to be battling for significant playoff seeding this season, I expect a tough and dedicated effort from the whole team, but especially from the likes of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.

Oct 10, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32) and Utah Jazz center Boris Diaw (33) battle for the loose ball during the second quarter at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 10, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32) and Utah Jazz center Boris Diaw (33) battle for the loose ball during the second quarter at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /

The Jazz will have the luxury of being able to throw both Hill and Exum at the feisty Chris Paul this year, but unless they have both Favors and Gobert ready to go in the paint, this could be a tough one to come away with a victory.

It seems likely that Favors will be back, so assuming that is the case, I’m going to go out on a limb on this one and pin the Jazz as stealing the unlikely victory.

The Clippers’ starters may outmatch Utah’s (especially with Hayward out), but LA has done little to upgrade their bench (sorry Marreese Speights) and after watching the teams match up in preseason, I believe the Jazz’s depth combined with Snyder’s pesky defense could cause some real problems for this team and provide a favorable match-up for Utah.

If Favors is out, this will be a lot less likely, but I’m optimistic that he’ll be good to go by Sunday if not sooner. Whether he’s in the game or not, however, I fully realize that this will be a tough contest for the Jazz and would be an impressive early statement game if they’re able to come away with a victory.

I imagine that regardless of the final outcome, this game will come down to the wire. Yet in the end, I’m going with the Jazz to find a way to sneak past the Clippers, despite all the injury woes.

My Prediction: Jazz Win

Final Score: Utah 91, Los Angeles 88

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So with my somewhat optimistic view, I have the Jazz starting out the season at 2-1, with a close loss to the Blazers, a big win at home over the Lakers and a narrow victory on the road against the Clippers. Sunday’s game is the one I feel iffiest about, so I also wouldn’t be surprised to see Utah start out 1-2.

While the injuries are certainly an unpleasant surprise, it will give the Jazz reserves a chance to prove their mettle. If they can step up to get the team off to a good start in the first week of the season, it will work wonders for the whole team’s confidence moving forward.

How do you think the Jazz will fare in Week 1 of the 2016-17 NBA season? Let me know in the comments below or hit me up on Twitter.

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