The Utah Jazz have been hit very hard by injuries all season long, but as the season comes to a close, the Jazz could get a helping hand from other teams who will be without their star players.
As a true fan of the game, you never wish any harm or injuries upon any player, but it sure could help the Utah Jazz to clinch a higher seed in the playoffs. Utah has five games left on their schedule, and with LA looming just a half-game behind, at this point the Jazz would have to win them all to guarantee they clinch the fourth seed.
This seems like a herculean task given that the Jazz have to play the Spurs one more time, the Trail Blazers twice, as well as the Warriors on the road, and the Timberwolves who beat the Jazz by 27 points in their last meeting.
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Most people were talking about the Jazz’s tough finish to the season back in October; having to play the West’s two best teams to close out the year. I however, saw this as a nice gift from the NBA. The San Antonio Spurs are all but surely going to rest a lot of their talent in the Jazz’s last game of the season, and the Warriors will have likely booked the top seed by then and won’t be at all dependent on their stars to get them an unnecessary win.
If you’re questioning my reasoning for the Spurs resting players in their second to last game, may I remind you that Danny Green, LaMarcus Aldridge and Manu Ginobili didn’t play against the Jazz on Sunday afternoon. It had been claimed that Green and Aldridge were suffering from nagging injuries but it could very well be an excuse to keep the NBA off their backs given that it’s a nationally televised game. Manu Ginobili, however, is being listed as out because of ‘rest’.
If the Jazz would have gotten off to a hot start in today’s game, it wouldn’t have been surprising to see the Spurs rest Kawhi Leonard or Tony Parker for the rest of the match either as they seem to be firmly cushioned in the second spot out West. Given the fact that it was a close game, though, that didn’t end up being the case.
The Portland Trail Blazers have just received word that much improved big-man Jusuf Nurkic will miss at least two weeks due to a right leg fracture. This span of a fortnight includes two meetings with the Jazz, making Utah heavy favorites in both.
The Minnesota Timberwolves simply destroyed the sluggish Jazz in their last outing. That being said, it was without a doubt the worst performance the Jazz have put up all year. As it stands now, the Timberwolves are out of the playoff hunt and at this point, can start prioritizing a higher draft pick over winning.
Look for the Jazz to come out strong and avenge their loss. After all, teams that are fighting for something in the playoff race have a distinct advantage over teams that aren’t more than ever at this stage of the season. And at the moment, only six teams in the Western Conference are needing wins to clinch their desired seed.
Utah Jazz
With the Thunder losing to the Spurs on the same night that the Jazz defeated the Wizards, it seems highly unlikely that the Thunder can catch Utah in the standings (currently 3.5 games behind them). Also sitting three games behind LA, it would require a mighty run and a stroke of luck to get out of the sixth seed.
Russell Westbrook and company have six games remaining with two at home and only two against current playoff teams. They have 43 wins and could very well go 5-1 from here on out; giving them 48 wins on the season.
Looking now at the Clippers’ schedule. They have just four games remaining and currently have 47 wins. Those games are against the Mavs at home and the Spurs on the road, followed by the Rockets and Kings at Staples Center. The games against Dallas and Sacramento will likely be blowout wins but the games against San Antonio and Houston will be pivotal. Both teams could rest their star players after clinching their respective playoff positions but the Jazz really need the Clippers to drop at least one of the two.
If Los Angeles goes 3-1 in their last four games, that will give them a total of 50 wins. But for the sake of it, we’ll say they will go a perfect 4-0 from here on out. After losing the tiebreaker, the Jazz would need to get to 52 wins, meaning they’d also have to go undefeated, to guarantee them the fourth seed.
Next: Utah Jazz at San Antonio Spurs: Keys to the Game
So once again, the ball is in the Utah’s court. They and they alone will decide their seed because a good run can get them into a place that no team behind them can reach. They have some quality opposition ahead of them, but some external factors like injuries and rest could very well help them out in a big way.
All statistics courtesy of NBA.com and ESPN. Information regarding injuries thanks to Rotoworld.