Utah Jazz 2017-18 Week 20 Outlook, Predictions

3/2 Utah vs. Minnesota

8:30 pm MT – ESPN

Opponent record: 37-26

Season series: Timberwolves lead 2-0

After facing the Houston Rockets, the Utah Jazz will then have three full days off before they host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday in the final game of their home stand. The T-Wolves had been rolling and had surged all the way up to third place in the West, but unfortunately in a recent loss to the Houston Rockets, Minnesota’s leading scorer Jimmy Butler went down with a serious knee injury.

It was later revealed to be a meniscal injury that will require surgery and will likely keep Butler out for at least four to six weeks, though he has stated that he hopes to make a return before the playoffs. Of course, Butler’s injury led several to question even further the methods of head coach Tom Thibodeau who has built a reputation of overplaying his best players to a dangerous level. His starting lineup easily plays the most minutes of any in the league and they’ll now have a hard time making up for Butler’s production on both ends of the floor.

In a recent Sports Illustrated piece by Ben Golliver (which was excellently done, I might add) talking about Minnesota’s now endangered playoff hopes, he brings up just how much the Wolves are going to miss Butler’s impact. These two quotes particularly stood out to me:

"With Butler on the court, the Timberwolves’ net rating was +7.8, roughly equivalent to the No. 3 ranked Raptors. Without him, the Timberwolves’ net rating plunged to -8.7, roughly equivalent to the No. 29 ranked Kings. With Butler, Minnesota managed to boast the No. 3 overall offense despite ranking 27th in bench scoring. With Butler, Minnesota enjoyed the West’s No. 4 seed despite possessing the league’s worst bench. Without him on the court, though, the Timberwolves’ defensive rating slides to 115.7, five points worse than the dead-last Suns. That level of sustained defensive ineptitude is a strong recipe for squandering whatever heroics Towns can muster in a new leading role. Frustration and finger-pointing could mount quickly."

Particularly Minnesota’s defensive drop-off without Jimmy Butler is absolutely astounding to me. As skilled and potentially dangerous as both Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins can be, defense has never been their forte. And while the Wolves were able to defeat the hapless Chicago Bulls in their first contest without Butler, it was far from easy for them.

As Minnesota looks to adjust to life without Butler, the Jazz may be catching them at a time that will work in their favor. The Timberwolves are still a force to be reckoned with, but with a defense that struggles without Butler and one of the most under-performing benches in the league, I believe that Utah will be able to take care of business and defeat them, especially within the friendly confines of Vivint Smart Home Arena.

Further aiding the Jazz is the fact that, not only will they have three days off to prepare for this bout, but Minnesota will be playing in the second night of a back-to-back after visiting the Portland Trail Blazers the night before in a late contest. Figure in how ragged Thibodeau tends to run his starters and the Jazz could very well be facing an exhausted Wolves team while having about as fresh of legs as possible themselves.

Add all that up and the Jazz should be poised for a big and crucial win on national television on Friday night.

My Prediction: Jazz Win

Final Score: Utah 113, Minnesota 101