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Utah Jazz 2017-18 Week Eight Outlook, Predictions

Jared Woodcox|
LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 30: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz dunks the ball against the LA Clippers on November 30, 2017 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 30: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz dunks the ball against the LA Clippers on November 30, 2017 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
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LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 30: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz dunks the ball against the LA Clippers on November 30, 2017 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. 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 Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 30: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz dunks the ball against the LA Clippers on November 30, 2017 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. 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 Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Utah Jazz will face a tough slate of four games in six days as they put their five-game winning streak on the line in Week Eight of the 2017-18 season.

Well, Week Seven was about as exciting of a week as we could have hoped for. Not only did the Utah Jazz manage to go an astounding 3-0 which included two blowouts and a thrilling come from behind victory on the second night of a back-to-back, but on said final victory, electrifying rookie Donovan Mitchell went absolute berserk, notching a career-high 41 points including 17 in the fourth quarter.

It was an awesome trio of games that saw the Jazz not just bounce back to get back above .500, but also fight their way into seventh place in the Western Conference, a mere game behind the fifth and sixth place teams and a game and a half out of fourth. That has the Jazz in a nice spot as they prepare for what is bound to be a daunting December.

Utah’s success last week to put them at 12-11 on the year was also enough for them to surpass my predictions record. I had pinned the Jazz to go 2-1, defeating the Denver Nuggets and LA Clippers, but falling to the New Orleans Pelicans. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised that they proved me wrong and won all three. They now own a game lead over my record of 11-12.

If it means further success for the Jazz, I’ll happily continue to be incorrect.

But things won’t get easier any time soon for Utah as they face a tough four-game slate for Week Eight of the 2017-18 NBA season. They’ll kick things off by hosting the Washington Wizards on Monday, then take a quick road trip over to Oklahoma City to face the Thunder on the second night of a back-to-back on Tuesday. After that, Utah will return home to host the West-leading Houston Rockets on Thursday before concluding the week by heading out East to play the first game of a six-game road trip that begins in Milwaukee on Saturday.

There’s some very good teams in that mix, but even this week can be considered a sort of “calm before the storm” when compared to the madness that follows in the next part of the month, such as the meat of that aforementioned six-game road trip and games against tough opponents such as the San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors while playing several games in not that many days.

Therefore, challenging though it will be, if Utah hopes to remain above .500 heading into the new calendar year, it will be absolutely vital that they take advantage this week and set a nice tone moving forward, beginning with Monday’s contest against Washington.

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