The Utah Jazz will look to start their first winning streak since a six-game run early in the season, as they take on the lowly Atlanta Hawks on Monday night.
If the Utah Jazz are to save their season, the time is now. Injuries and inconsistency have been a common factor throughout the first half of the season, and that has led to a 19-27 start. This has not been what most Jazz fans were expecting, but there is still reason for hope.
Utah Jazz: Somehow, some way a playoff spot remains a possibility https://t.co/RtpLHbrN6q pic.twitter.com/zgum7jnAIq
— The J-Notes (@TheJNotes) January 18, 2018
As they go forward, the schedule is going to start to soften, and there is reason to believe the Jazz could string together a few consecutive victories. Winning streaks have been hard to come by for the Jazz. They won six games in a row in late November/early December, and they were standing at 13-11. Things were looking pretty good.
Then things started to unravel.
Since December 5, the Utah Jazz have not won consecutive games at any point. Every victory has been followed by three to four consecutive losses. They will have as good a chance as any to change that on Monday night, as they will be facing the Atlanta Hawks, who are currently the worst team in the NBA.
The Hawks were supposed to be bad. Prior to the start of the season, they traded away established veteran players, and turned the team over to Dennis Schroder and other key young pieces; much like the Jazz did to kick off the post Al Jefferson/Paul Millsap era. They are currently 13-32, and in a tie with Sacramento for the worst record in the league.
This will be the perfect opportunity for the Jazz to right the ship, and to start their first winning streak in over a month of play. The Hawks play well on their home floor however. They are 9-13 at home. So Utah cannot sleep on this team. Here are the keys to the Jazz getting the win in Atlanta, and taking a step back towards .500.