Utah Jazz
Current Record: 47-30
Standings: 1st in Division, 4th in Conference
As I just mentioned, the Utah Jazz are just three wins away from claiming the Northwest Division title, a task they could very well complete this week as they take on Portland twice as well as the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Each bout against the determined Blazers will be a tough one, particularly the contest this Saturday in Portland, but if the Jazz can rise to the occasion and play as they did in the three games prior to yesterday’s loss to San Antonio, they could very well sweep the week.
Jazz magic #s
— David Locke (@DLocke09) April 2, 2017
To avoid 7 - combo 1win or Grizz loss
To avoid 6 - combo 3 Jazz wins or Thunder losses
To hold 4 - 5 Jazz win or clip losses
From there, Utah will have the unenviable task of visiting the Golden State Warriors then hosting San Antonio in the final game of the season. The results of several teams around the conference this week could very well determine how important as well as how difficult those games are. If Golden State and San Antonio are both firmly rooted as the first and second seeds by that point, then Utah could get lucky and face them while they rest their stars.
Regardless of whether that’s the case or not, though, I like Utah’s chances of finishing atop the division. Three wins is all it will take and that’s if the Thunder manage to go undefeated in their last six contests. Any OKC loss will greatly help Utah’s chances at grabbing the Northwest Division title, for which they are clearly in the driver’s seat. Barring a major collapse in these final five games, I predict the Jazz will indeed finish in first place in the division.
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However, of course the real prize for the Jazz would be to not only finish in first place in their division, but to finish in fourth in the conference and thus earn home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Although staving off the Thunder seems like a relatively reachable task, holding off the LA Clippers looks like it’s going to be much harder.
The Clips have one less game to play than Utah which includes the already eliminated Mavericks and Kings as well as the usually tougher Spurs and Rockets that could be resting players. The Jazz have to win one more game than LA to hold onto that spot, which means if the Clippers go undefeated, Utah will need to as well.
Once again they find themselves in control of their own destiny, but that doesn’t necessarily make the path any easier. Although Utah has a great shot at winning their division, their final five games in the month of April will make or break their hopes of earning home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
All stats courtesy of NBA.com