The J-Notes
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Utah Jazz 2017-18 Week 19 Outlook, Predictions

By Jared Woodcox

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - FEBRUARY 14: Head coach Quin Snyder of the Utah Jazz talks with his player Rudy Gobert
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - FEBRUARY 14: Head coach Quin Snyder of the Utah Jazz talks with his player Rudy Gobert /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 15: Donovan Mitchell (L) of the Utah Jazz poses with Damian Lillard (R) of the Portland Trailblazers at the Adidas hosts All Star Black Tie on February 15, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Cassy Athena/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 15: Donovan Mitchell (L) of the Utah Jazz poses with Damian Lillard (R) of the Portland Trailblazers at the Adidas hosts All Star Black Tie on February 15, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Cassy Athena/Getty Images) /

2/23 Utah vs. Portland

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

Opponent record: 32-26

Season series: Jazz lead 2-0

This contest is going to be a huge one for the Utah Jazz no matter how you look at it. Not only is it their first game after the break and therefore could set the tone for the remainder of the season, but the divisional rival Portland Trail Blazers could very well be a team that the Jazz end up battling for playoff positioning down the stretch of the season. Utah already holds a 2-0 regular season series lead over the Blazers, so a win on Friday would clinch the tiebreaker.

That could become absolutely crucial as these two teams will likely be neck and neck to close out the season. Not only that, but if Utah wins on Friday, they’ll also pull within one game of the Blazers who currently sit at seventh place in the Western Conference.

The Jazz have pulled out two amazing games against Portland so far this season, one which saw Ricky Rubio explode in overtime to seal the deal and the more recent battle which saw Utah take over in the third quarter in spite of Rubio’s absence, thanks to big games from Donovan Mitchell and Joe Ingles.

Historically, the Jazz have struggled against Blazers All-Star Damian Lillard, however, they’ve done quite well against him in both contests this season. Even though Lillard has gone off for over 30 points in both games, he’s done so while shooting under 27 percent from three in each contest on 23 total attempts.

If Utah can hold him in check from behind the arc (where he typically thrives) as they have earlier in the season while putting forth an equally brilliant game to what they managed in the prior two meetings, they should have a great chance to earn this big-time win. It will be far from easy, and I’ll be interested to see if Utah plays with the same energy after the break as they did before it, but I think they’ll figure out a way to come out on top.

That said, expect a hard-fought battle that could very well have a playoff-like atmosphere given the significance of the contest.

My Prediction: Jazz Win

Final Score: Utah 104, Portland 101

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