3/1 Utah vs. Minnesota
6:00 pm MT – Root Sports/League Pass
Opponent record: 23-36
Season series: Jazz lead 2-0
Although the month of March may very well be the toughest of the season for the Jazz given all the formidable playoff-caliber opponents they’ll face, luckily they’ll get to start it off against the middling Minnesota Timberwolves who currently find themselves near the bottom of the Western Conference.
Ironically enough, though, the bottom half of the West has struggled so much this year that despite being in 13th place currently, the Wolves are actually just three games out of eighth place meaning their playoff hopes are far from dead.
Our four-game road trip is underway! Take a look at everything coming up this week.
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) February 26, 2017
READ: https://t.co/VZwalnZV3i pic.twitter.com/rLmylrpJpb
Not to mention, both games so far between Utah and Minnesota have been relatively closely contested, particularly the latest one as the Jazz ended up needing a late 11-0 run to close the game and steal a two-point victory. The Wolves boast a host of young and talented players, such as Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, and certainly can’t be slept on.
It will also be the second night of a back-to-back for the Jazz who will be travelling back from Oklahoma City the night prior and it isn’t exactly ideal to be playing against a young, run-and-gun Wolves team on tired legs.
Nevertheless, given that this game will be back on Utah’s home court and considering how well the Jazz have played so far in their two contests since the All-Star break, I’m going to pin them as victors in this contest by a reasonably large margin.
My Prediction: Jazz Win
Final Score: Utah 104, Minnesota 94