The Utah Jazz have a crucial opportunity to further improve their record in this first week of March before the month turns into one of the most difficult stretches of the season.
The Utah Jazz have gotten off to about as good of a start after the All-Star break as possible as they rolled to victory at Milwaukee on Friday, then despite struggling to take care of the ball, put the clamps on to shut down what had been a red hot Washington team on the road on Sunday.
The perfect 2-0 week from the Jazz put their record squarely at 37-22. It’s crazy to think that with just three more wins they’ll match their win total from last year and with four more they’ll match what the final playoff team in the West put up last year.
In terms of my personal prediction record, I went 1-1 last week as I was hesitant to pin the Jazz as winners against the streaking Wizards. I did actually change my prediction after seeing how well Utah manhandled the Bucks, but for these purposes it was already too late at that point, so my weekly projections record fell to 38-21.
I maintain a narrow lead over the Jazz, but am pulling for them to surge past me down the stretch.
Many have cited the Jazz's record against good teams. And that criticism is valid. Today, they defeated a red hot WAS team. Huge win.
— David J. Smith (@davidjsmith1232) February 27, 2017
While the Jazz have looked phenomenal in their last two contests, Tuesday’s game will no doubt be the biggest they’ve faced yet since the break as they’ll visit the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Jazz lost a nailbiter to Russell Westbrook and Co. the last time around and could use a big win over a hearty Western Conference foe that only appeared to get better at the trade deadline.
Then they’ll go on a two-game home stand where they’ll host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday and the Brooklyn Nets on Friday. Finally, they’ll finish up the four-game week back on the road against the new-look Sacramento Kings who recently parted ways with All-Star DeMarcus Cousins.
Aside from the first contest of the week, the Jazz will be heavy favorites in each game during the upcoming stretch and have an excellent opportunity to match or surpass their win total from last season. Aside from the disheartening number of turnovers in the win over Washington, if Utah can play the way they did in the past two games, they could very well set themselves up for a 4-0 week.