The J-Notes
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Utah Jazz Week Twenty-Two Outlook, Predictions

By Jared Woodcox

Mar 18, 2017; Chicago, IL, USA; Utah Jazz guard Dante Exum (11) reacts to a foul call against the Chicago Bulls during the first half at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 18, 2017; Chicago, IL, USA; Utah Jazz guard Dante Exum (11) reacts to a foul call against the Chicago Bulls during the first half at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 6, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Utah Jazz small forward Gordon Hayward (20) drives the baseline against New York Knicks point guard Derrick Rose (25) during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. Utah won 114-109. Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 6, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Utah Jazz small forward Gordon Hayward (20) drives the baseline against New York Knicks point guard Derrick Rose (25) during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. Utah won 114-109. Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports /

3/22 Utah vs. New York

8:30 pm MT – ESPN/Root Sports

Opponent record: 27-42

Season series: Jazz lead 1-0

Utah’s upcoming schedule is a bit odd as each one their next eight games will alternate between being at home and being on the road without any consecutive home or away games coming until their two-game home stand on April 4th and April 7th. With that being the case, Utah will have a quick stop at home to play the Knicks before turning around and heading out for a quick road bout against the Clippers in the final game of the week.

That much back and forth may make it somewhat hard to find a rhythm, but hopefully Utah will still find away to get it done against a hapless Knicks team on Wednesday. A win here will be even more meaningful than usual as the game will be nationally televised on ESPN and it also happens to be the 20th Anniversary celebration of the Jazz’s 1997 NBA Finals team.

With that esteemed group of Jazz legends present in the building (minus the great Karl Malone, apparently), one would hope that the current Jazz squad would be able to get it done against a sliding Knicks team that’s currently just 27-42 on the season and has lost seven of their last ten.

Nevertheless, the one thing that scares me is that the Jazz have been pretty awful in the first game at home following a long road trip, which is exactly what Wednesday’s contest against the Knicks will be. Utah is just 1-3 in home games following a road trip of three games or more this season.

Those losses came to Memphis, Boston and most recently the horribly embarrassing defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves, while the lone victory surprisingly came over the Cleveland Cavaliers after dropping three of five on the preceding five-game road trip.

Related Story: Utah Jazz’s First Round Playoff Opponent More In Doubt Than Ever

Therefore, while in a vacuum the Jazz would almost certainly be able to pummel a hapless Knicks team who suffers dramatically from a lack of depth, chemistry and overall talent, hopefully the toils of coming home after a long road trip won’t end up to be more than they can handle, especially given the excitement that will be in the building this night as the organization honors its first ever Western Conference Champion squad.

I’m a little nervous about my pick in this one, but I’m going to go ahead and pin the Jazz as winners in this game as well. There’s really no viable excuse why they shouldn’t win this game and while inconsistency could very well raise its ugly head, I’m projecting that Utah will come through, giving those in attendance to recognize the formal Finals squad a true night to remember.

My Prediction: Jazz Win

Final Score: Utah 112, New York 101

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