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Utah Jazz: Northwest Division Comparison – January

By Jared Woodcox

Dec 14, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) defends against Oklahoma City Thunder center Enes Kanter (11) during the second half at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The Jazz won 109-89. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 14, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) defends against Oklahoma City Thunder center Enes Kanter (11) during the second half at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The Jazz won 109-89. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 14, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) defends against Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams (12) during the second half at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The Jazz won 109-89. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 14, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) defends against Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams (12) during the second half at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The Jazz won 109-89. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports /

The Utah Jazz currently sit atop the Northwest Division and, considering the play so far of their divisional foes, have a great chance of staying put.

The NBA season is nearing its halfway point and teams are slowly but surely showing where they stack up in the league. While the Northwest Division was still too close to call at the beginning of last month, we’re beginning to get a much clearer picture of how the five teams stack up as well as what the Jazz’s chances are of coming out atop the division.

With Portland stumbling last month, two teams have clearly stepped out as the division’s leaders – the Utah Jazz and the Oklahoma City Thunder. While the Jazz are coming off a disappointing loss to the Celtics on Tuesday night, they still own a 22-14 record and maintain a narrow half-game lead over the Thunder for fifth in the conference and first in the division.

Just when it looked like things were going to start clicking for the Jazz, George Hill went down once again after taking a nasty elbow to the face in the game against Phoenix. His absence was a big reason why Utah was unable to contain Isaiah Thomas and the Celtics in their most recent game.

Nevertheless, things are still looking good for the Jazz and they are in a great position to maintain their top spot in the division. With the exception of the Timberwolves, who have seemingly gone from bad to worse on the season, especially after considering their poor showing in the loss to the 76ers last night, all of the teams in the Northwest Division either find themselves in the playoff mix or within close striking distance.

Thus, January will be an important month for each of these teams as they all seek to either prove themselves as a legitimate contender in the West, scrap and claw for a playoff spot or in the case of the Wolves, prove that all is not lost this season.

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