Prediction – Jazz 98, Suns 89
As I mentioned, this will be a great test for the Jazz, but given their depth and staunch defense, I think they’ll have a clear edge over a Phoenix team that doesn’t exactly bring the heat defensively and will likely lack the offensive weapons to overwhelm the Jazz. Nevertheless, it is preseason and really anything could happen, so it’ll be interesting to see how both teams respond to one another.
If this were a regular season game with both teams at full strength, though, I’d definitely pin the Jazz as winners, so I’ll stick to that in these circumstances as well. Even if Utah plays a lot of its second and third string guys for most of the contest, those guys, such as Dante Exum, Alec Burks and Jonas Jerebko, have actually looked pretty solid, so I still believe in them to get the job done. Therefore, I’ve got Utah coming away with a nine-point victory.
Next: Three-Point Threat Episode 15: Utah Jazz Preseason, GM Survey, All-Star Format
From here, the Jazz will take on the Suns yet again in Phoenix on Monday, then play in a preseason back-to-back as they’ll visit the Los Angeles Lakers the following day. After that it’s just a week until the NBA regular season kicks off and eight days before Utah’s regular season opener.
The countdown clock is swiftly ticking down and while these upcoming three preseason games will help bide the time, it’s a relief to know that the start of real, meaningful Jazz games is just around the corner.