The J-Notes
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Utah Jazz 2017-18 Week Three Outlook, Predictions

By Jared Woodcox

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 24: Ricky Rubio (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 24: Ricky Rubio (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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PORTLAND, OR – OCTOBER 26: Jusuf Nurkic (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OR – OCTOBER 26: Jusuf Nurkic (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images) /

11/1 Utah vs. Portland

7:00 pm MT – AT&T SportsNet/League Pass

Opponent record: 4-2

Season series: Tied 0-0

Maybe it’s my irrational love of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, but I was a lot higher on the Portland Trail Blazers heading into this season than most. Despite a mediocre 2016-17 season that saw them only barely sneak into the eighth and final playoff spot, I loved how they closed out the year after adding Jusuf Nurkic, believe their backcourt is one of the best in the league and think that Terry Stotts is an exceptional, albeit unheralded coach.

It’s definitely early, but so far the Blazers have looked the part of a playoff team, just as I predicted them to be. They’re 4-2 on the year with a couple of impressive wins, and are a Blake Griffin buzzer beater and a Giannis Antetokounmpo career explosion away from being 6-0 as they lost to the LA Clippers by one point and the Milwaukee Bucks by just three.

As he tends to against most teams, Lillard seems to always shine against the Jazz. Last time Utah and Portland met, Damian dropped an absurd 59 points as he helped will his team to a much-needed late season victory as the Trail Blazers sought to solidify a playoff spot. He and McCollum are a dangerous duo that will certainly challenge Utah’s backcourt offensively and Nurkic will undoubtedly be a problem in the middle.

The one area where Portland, especially their backcourt, struggled last year is on defense. If the Jazz can at least keep Lillard and McCollum in check, then thrive offensively, they could be in good shape. However, in six games so far, the Trail Blazers’ defense has looked much improved as they’re currently seventh in the league in opponent points per game (98.2) and seventh in defensive rating (98.0).

Beyond that, Portland has also been an elite rebounding team thus far as they lead the league with 51.7 boards per game. That’s over ten more than the 25th ranked Jazz are grabbing per contest.

Although I’d like to see the Jazz match their performance against the Oklahoma City Thunder and find a way to stifle and out-hustle the Portland Trail Blazers, given Utah’s recent struggles and the hot start for the Blazers, I’m going to project the Jazz as coming up just short in this bout, dropping their first home game of the season.

My Prediction: Blazers Win

Final Score: Portland 110, Utah 103

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