Utah Jazz 2017-18 Week 22 Outlook, Predictions

The Utah Jazz have an excellent chance to extend their current winning streak to nine games as they’ll face a trio of lackluster opponents in Week 22 of NBA action.

The Utah Jazz are rolling once again. After going just 1-2 in the first three games after the All-Star break, they’ve bounced back in a big way with six straight wins including a huge victory with playoff implications over the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday.

Last week, I incorrectly picked Utah to lose to the Indiana Pacers, but I managed to get each of the other three games right, putting my season-long predictions record at 35-32. The Jazz certainly outdid me, though, by posting a perfect 4-0 week that saw their record climb to an impressive 37-30.

Alas, even after all that, which has included 18 wins in their last 20 games, the Jazz somehow still find themselves in 10th place in the West. But that margin continues to shrink significantly as Utah is now tied for eighth place with both the Denver Nuggets and LA Clippers (LA has a better record by mere percentage points, but all three teams are tied in terms of games back).

And considering that Utah’s remaining schedule is much easier than that of the teams directly ahead of them in the standings, I like their chances of finally solidifying a spot in the top eight by the end of the week, and especially by the end of the month.

Part of that easy stretch begins this week as Utah will play a trio of games at home, first on Tuesday against the under-performing Detroit Pistons, then against the lottery-bound Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings on Thursday and Saturday, respectively.

Considering the caliber of opponents Utah will be facing within the friendly confines of Vivint Smart Home Arena this week, they have an excellent opportunity to extend their winning streak to nine games. Nevertheless, nothing can be taken for granted in the NBA, and so the Jazz will need to bring their A-game in each of those contests.

With that being said, let’s take a closer look at what lies ahead and how the Jazz ought to fare in Week 22 of the 2017-18 NBA season.

3/13 Utah vs. Detroit

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

Opponent record: 30-36

Season series: Jazz lead 1-0

The Detroit Pistons were right in the thick of battling for a playoff spot when they engaged in a blockbuster trade that added Blake Griffin to their ranks. With his addition, many presumed that the Pistons were set to surge and easily work their way into the playoff mix. When Griffin first joined the team, Detroit rattled off four straight victories and it looked like such was very well set to be the case.

However, it’s been all downhill for them from there.

Since that initial four-game spurt, the Pistons have gone an awful 3-10, bringing their record with Blake Griffin to a middling 7-10. That poor play has dropped them six games below .500 and a whopping five games behind the eighth place Milwaukee Bucks. With just 16 games left in the regular season for Detroit, it’s looking less than likely that they’ll have the steam to force their way into the playoffs.

But their struggles are likely a good sign for the Utah Jazz who are in dire need of as many wins as they can get as they look to claw their way into the postseason mix. The Jazz won a thriller over Detroit earlier in the season as they ended up needing overtime to finally escape by a narrow three points.

Last season, the Jazz matched up extremely well against Detroit as they sent them to a pair of lopsided losses, and while this season’s earlier bout was a close one, I expect Utah to have a significant advantage over the Pistons while playing on their home court in Salt Lake City. Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond will be a handful, but outside of those two, Detroit doesn’t have much to write home about, particularly among the ranks of their lackluster bench.

Combine the Pistons’ struggles and lack of depth, Utah’s recent success and an overall good matchup for the Jazz, and I expect a big win for the home team. Detroit is the most talented team that Utah will face this week, but they should still be more than capable of coming out on top against an under-performing Pistons team.

My Prediction: Jazz Win

Final Score: Utah 112, Detroit 97

3/15 Utah vs. Phoenix

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

Opponent record: 19-49

Season series: Jazz lead 2-1

Although the Detroit Pistons are the most talented team that the Jazz will face this week, I’ve got to say that I believe the Phoenix Suns are the most dangerous. The Jazz have had some issues with them before, with a prior loss to them on the season and a closer than ideal contest back in mid-February.

Not to mention, this team has little, if anything, to lose as they’re among the league’s primary tankers. While one might think that would make this an easy win, it can also create a trap game of sorts on certain occasions where the bad team’s desperation comes through for them.

Beyond all that, though, the Suns play with a kind of reckless abandon that makes me nervous not only about the possibility of the Jazz coming up short, but more about a stupid play resulting in a Jazz injury. We’ve seen this on a couple occasions over recent seasons, most notably the T.J. Warren body check on Dante Exum and the Alex Len hit on George Hill that sent his teeth through his lip.

One could say those were mere accidents or coincidences, but it feels like every time the Jazz play the Suns, I hold my breath. The young guns that are likely fed up with losing and playing for a struggling organization are often loose cannons and play somewhat out of control.

Especially if Utah can contain the Suns’ leading scorer Devin Booker, which they’ve done a relatively good job of in all three meetings this year, then they should quite easily be able to outmatch Phoenix from a talent and depth standpoint. Still, Utah needs to play with energy and find a way to match the chippy nature of the Suns without losing their cool.

Doing so should earn them a win, but more importantly, hopefully they’ll emerge from the game unscathed. Based on Phoenix’s play of late that has seen them lose five straight and nine of ten, this contest should be smooth sailing for the Jazz as long as no unforeseen setbacks occur.

My Prediction: Jazz Win

Final Score: Utah 115, Phoenix 102

3/17 Utah vs. Sacramento

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

Opponent record: 21-46

Season series: Jazz lead 2-0

The final game of the week will be against the Sacramento Kings who the Jazz have handily defeated on a pair of occasions this season. Although their record is slightly better than that of the Suns, they don’t present much more of a challenge and Utah should be able to easily dispatch them, particularly on their home court considering that the Kings are 10-24 on the road.

The Kings are 3-3 over their last six games, though, so they absolutely shouldn’t be counted out. Although they find themselves right in the thick of the tank sweepstakes along with the Phoenix Suns and others, they have some talented young guns who can be dangerous if they get hot such as Bogdan Bogdanovic, De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield.

That’s not to say that any of those guys have the edge over a much more talented Jazz team, but it does mean that Utah can’t get complacent. There’s a good chance that Utah will have an eight-game win streak going into this game, and considering that they’ll have faced two teams with losing records before this game, it’s entirely possible that Utah could overlook the Kings somewhat.

They’ve remained pretty disciplined during this hot streak they’ve been on, so I have a hard time seeing that happening, but it’s still a danger the Jazz will need to avoid. If they’re focused and execute well against a subpar Kings team, though, they should very well end the week on a high note with yet another much-needed victory.

My Prediction: Jazz Win

Final Score: Utah 107, Sacramento 95

Next: Will the return of Kawhi Leonard spell bad news for the Utah Jazz?

So as much as it makes me nervous to be this optimistic for fear of jinxing the Jazz, I honestly feel good about pinning them to go 3-0 this week and extending their streak. Despite some turnover issues, the Jazz have looked really sharp of late and especially considering the lackluster competition they’ll face in Week 22, there’s no reason why they can’t continue to climb and earn a trio of consecutive wins.

However, although the Jazz have two more games against lottery bound teams the following week, things will start to get much more challenging from there as they’ll go up against the San Antonio Spurs (presumably with Kawhi Leonard back in action), the Golden State Warriors and the Boston Celtics in consecutive games. With those difficult contests looming on the horizon, it will be vital that Utah take care of business in the three winnable games they face this week.