Prediction – Pacers 104, Jazz 101
This game has all the appearance of being a hard-fought battle. Both teams have a lot of similarities in my mind, and just as the Jazz are fighting tooth and nail for a playoff spot, the Pacers are fighting tooth and nail for home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
I could see this one going either way, but when all is said and done, I’m worried that the Jazz won’t have quite enough to overcome a Pacers team that is on fire and plays exceptionally well at home. Utah has yet to impress me all that much since the All-Star break, and while they’ve been able to overcome their sloppy play that has included poor three-point shooting and several turnovers to beat the likes of the Sacramento Kings, Dallas Mavericks, Orlando Magic and Jimmy Butler-less Minnesota Timberwolves, I don’t know that it will be enough to beat the Pacers.
Next: Utah Jazz haven’t gotten much help from West opponents, but that may change soon
Hopefully the Jazz have their first breakout game since the All-Star break and put together a fully-executed performance that will allow them to edge out Indiana. But since they have yet to do that since returning from the break and considering how well the Pacers have played in their past three games, I’m going to give them a slight edge in this contest.
After playing in Indiana, the Jazz will round out their three-game road trip in Memphis on Friday and in New Orleans on Sunday for a Western Conference showdown against the Pelicans. Although Wednesday’s and Sunday’s contests are going to be challenging, if Utah could somehow pull them off, it would work wonders for their record in the highly contested playoff race.