Prediction – Jazz 103, Trail Blazers 101
This is going to be a very difficult, but also a very telling game. Home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs could very well be at stake tonight, but the Jazz will have to knock off a Portland team that has played extremely well of late if they hope to take a critical step towards earning it.
Earlier in the week, I had actually pinned the Jazz to lose this one due to the fact that it was on the road and on the second night of a back-to-back. That could still very well be the case, especially if Utah lets fatigue set in and they come out flat-footed against a fast-paced Portland team, but after seeing the Jazz easily handle the Blazers on Tuesday and considering how inspired they’ve looked of late, I’m going to change that prediction and pin Utah as narrow winners.
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The absence of Nurkic should also help the Jazz as it clearly did in Tuesday’s bout. Nevertheless, the Blazers will likely be a lot more prepared and refreshed this time around and I’m expecting them to take the Jazz to the wire.
However, with exception to Portland’s superior starting backcourt, Utah has proven all season long that they are the better team across the board. While this game is sure to be a difficult test and an intense contest, I’m expecting Utah to put together a masterful performance to officially arrive at a 50-win season and maintain their lead for the fourth seed in the Western Conference.
All stats courtesy of NBA.com