Utah Jazz Week Sixteen Outlook, Predictions

2/9 Utah at Dallas

6:30 pm MT – Root Sports/League Pass

Opponent record: 20-30

Season series: Jazz lead 3-0

Despite trailing the season series 3-0, the Dallas Mavericks have given the Jazz quite a bit of trouble this season. The Jazz were only able to win the second contest thanks to a late game-winning three from Rodney Hood and the most recent victory went into overtime after Utah allowed the Mavs to get back into the game in the fourth quarter.

And despite one of the worst starts in the league, the Mavericks have since bounced back in a big way and find themselves realistically within striking distance of a playoff spot.

Harrison Barnes has continually been their best player, but Dallas boasts a slew of talented vets such as Deron Williams, Dirk Nowitzki and Wesley Matthews who are all starting to get things turned around enough to right the ship.

Not to mention, they just signed former free agent Yogi Ferrell to a two-year agreement after he played incredibly well for the Mavs on a 10-day contract. Most recently he lit up the Portland Trail Blazers for 32 points that included 9 made threes out of 11 attempts and essentially solidified his spot on this Dallas team.

It’s been not only of the greatest feel-good stories of the year as the undrafted rookie has found a way to rise through the ranks, but it’s also been solid from a basketball standpoint. The Mavs are undefeated in the four games Ferrell has played and although it’s in a ridiculously small sample size, Yogi’s four solid performances have bolstered him all the way up to become Dallas’ second leading scorer at 17.8 points per game in a Mavericks uniform.

Therefore, with Dallas playing their best basketball of the season, the Jazz having struggled against them all year and the fact that Utah will be coming into this contest on the second night of a back-to-back, I’m actually going to project that a Dallas team that has looked hungrier and hungrier with each passing game is going to find a way to come out on top in this one.

In all reality, the Jazz could very easily be 1-2 against the Mavs this season and are actually very fortunate that such is not the case. With a win, Utah would earn a four-game regular season sweep over Dallas for the first time since the 1997-98 season, but considering all the recent factors I mentioned, I just don’t foresee that happening this year.

This game has all the feeling of a trap game and while the Jazz very well could and perhaps should arise victorious, I’m going to project that the Mavs come away with the win in what should be a closely contested match-up.

My Prediction: Mavericks Win

Final Score: Dallas 92, Utah 86