The J-Notes
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10/25 Utah Jazz at Phoenix Suns: Keys to the Game

By Jared Woodcox

PHOENIX, AZ - OCTOBER 9: Devin Booker (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ - OCTOBER 9: Devin Booker (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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SALT LAKE CITY, UT – OCTOBER 21: The Utah Jazz stand for the National Anthem before the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on October 21, 2017 at vivint.SmartHome Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT – OCTOBER 21: The Utah Jazz stand for the National Anthem before the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on October 21, 2017 at vivint.SmartHome Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Prediction – Jazz 103, Phoenix 87

I’m pretty sure I already made it abundantly clear, but I’m relatively confident and expectant that the Utah Jazz will run away with the victory in this one. They’ll likely be looking to bounce back from a disheartening loss last night and will look to dominate a team that they already topped twice during preseason action.

Nevertheless, although I expect the Jazz to earn a solid win, after seeing their offensive struggles against the Clippers, I’m actually going to lessen my expectations for their margin of victory from my week preview piece from a couple days back and instead pin Utah to win by 16 points. Regardless of what the final score ends up being, though, this is a game the Jazz should win and hopefully it will be a major confidence and momentum builder for them.

Next: Utah Jazz rookie round-up: Ups and downs in Donovan Mitchell’s first week

After dropping their first road game of the year to Minnesota and a second one to the Clippers in LA, the Jazz will look to earn their first victory away from Vivint Smart Home Arena tonight. That will be an important mental hurdle to overcome if they hope to find continued success this season, and fortunately I’m confident that it will be very much attainable.

From there, the Jazz will play eight of their next nine games at home, beginning with Saturday’s hosting of the Los Angeles Lakers, so they’ll need to build some confidence in their ability to win on the road tonight if they hope to be able to find success following the friendly upcoming stretch.

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