Utah Jazz 2017-18 Week Two Outlook, Predictions
10/28 Utah vs. Los Angeles Lakers
7:00 pm MT – AT&T SportsNet/League Pass
Opponent record: 1-2
Season series: Tied 0-0 (Jazz won preseason series 2-0)
Much like the Phoenix Suns, the Los Angeles Lakers’ season hasn’t exactly gotten off to a stirring start as their lone victory thus far has actually been a two-point win over the pathetic Suns themselves. That narrow win is actually pretty indicative of the difference between the two teams – neither one is very good, but the Lakers are slightly more talented. Slightly.
They have several promising young pieces, but quite frankly they’re far away from putting the pieces together and becoming anything close to a formidable opponent. No single player on their team, not even the overly-hyped Lonzo Ball, should present much of a match-up challenge for the Jazz, thus Utah should be able to come out on top relatively easily.
Especially considering that the Jazz will be entering the contest off of two days of rest whereas the Lakers will be playing on the second night of a back-to-back, this figures to be a second consecutive blowout win for the Jazz, one that hopefully will continue to raise their confidence and put them on a solid trajectory for a much more difficult week three.
Next: Three-Point Threat Episode 17: Utah Jazz Impressions, Week 2 Preview, Thoughts on League
So, while I truly think the Clippers game could go either way, I really like Utah’s chances in their final two games of the week and feel good pinning the Jazz at 3-0 in their upcoming slate. Doing so would put them at a solid 5-1 record which is likely significantly higher than many had them pinned heading into the season.
Of course, that would be in a very small sample size and against a pair of weak opponents, but given the fact that Utah will be in the thick of a heavily contested playoff race in the Western Conference, every game is crucially important and seeing the Jazz take care of business in them will without a doubt be a refreshing scene.