Utah Jazz look to hold onto eighth seed as they battle Detroit Pistons

The Utah Jazz will aim to keep a hold of the recently earned eighth-seed in the West with a win over the Detroit Pistons tonight.

After what seemed like an eternity of being stuck in tenth place in the West, the Utah Jazz finally caught a break last night. With the San Antonio Spurs’ loss to the Houston Rockets, they dropped to 37-30, the same record as the Jazz and Denver Nuggets, but since Utah owns the best head-to-head record among that group (5-2 overall, 3-0 against San Antonio, 2-2 against Denver) they were the ones that arose at the head of the pack and took eighth place.

It was a refreshing sight to wake up with Utah officially in the playoff mix. However, they can’t let up if they hope to stay there for long. Their continued quest to not just qualify for postseason action, but to make a run at a higher seed to avoid the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors, or perhaps to nab home court advantage, will begin tonight as they host the Detroit Pistons.

The Jazz are initiating a four-game home stand with tonight’s bout and the first of five games against teams with losing records. However, of that bunch, the Pistons are without a doubt the most talented squad. Although they’ve fallen six games below .500 (30-36), with a frontcourt composed of two All-Star caliber players in Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond, they can be a force to be reckoned with.

The Pistons started out red hot once Griffin joined their ranks as they rattled off four straight wins, but they have gone on a major slump since then, winning just three of their last 13 games.

Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean that they’re a squad that can be overlooked. They pushed the Jazz to the wire in the previous game as it took a battle that extended into overtime for Utah to seal the deal. The Pistons are a relatively staunch defensive team, particularly down low, as they’re ninth in the league in opponent points in the paint at 42.9.

Furthermore, it will be vital that Utah keep both Drummond and Griffin, Detroit’s two leading scorers, in check if they are to win. Luckily, beyond those two, the Pistons don’t exactly boast a lot of depth or intimidating role players. If Utah’s second unit can also take advantage of a lackluster Pistons crew, this should very well result in a win for the Jazz.

Unfortunately, the Jazz bench hasn’t been impeccable of late. Jae Crowder is coming off a 1-of-11 shooting outing against the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday. Royce O’Neale was 1-of-7 in that game and has only made one three-pointer in his last nine attempts spanning over five games.

Jonas Jerebko has only played an average of about 12 minutes in the last two games, but he was a combined minus-16 in the pair of contests. Last of all, backup point guard Raul Neto is sidelined with a fractured left wrist.

Luckily, those guys have contributed in other areas that have helped their team win and likely will as well tonight (save Neto who is out). However, particularly in the cases of Crowder and O’Neale, it would be good to see them get going offensively once again, especially since hypothetically the Jazz should have a big edge over Detroit’s bench and they’ll need it in order to come out victorious tonight.

In related news to the Jazz second unit, Dante Exum was assigned to the Salt Lake City Stars today to practice with the G-League team, then was later recalled. His return to Utah’s bench could help provide an additional spark. However, while it’s probable that he’ll be back in action this week, it’s not likely that he’ll hit the floor just yet tonight.

Between Neto’s absence and Exum awaiting his return, it will be vital that starters Ricky Rubio and Donovan Mitchell execute well as the team’s floor generals to help will the Jazz to victory. Detroit’s backcourt isn’t overwhelming, but guys like Ish Smith, Reggie Bullock and to some extent veteran Jameer Nelson can be dangerous if given too long of a leash.

Nevertheless, while there are some dangers revolving around this game, I like Utah’s chances. Despite some shortcomings from the bench and in other areas, overall they’ve played extremely well of late and know how important each game is to close out the season, especially ones like this against beatable opponents.

With that being so, I expect the Jazz to be highly focused and determined to come out on top. Not only that, but Utah matched up extremely well against Detroit last season, and although they struggled in the earlier contest this year and both teams look much different than in 2016-17, I expect that favorable matchup to be heavily distinguishable tonight. As such, I’m pinning the Jazz as relatively comfortable winners in their first game home after a three-game road stint.

My Prediction: Utah 112, Detroit 97

Next: Utah Jazz: Dante Exum assigned to G-League ahead of return

The Utah Jazz and Detroit Pistons will tip-off tonight at 7:00 PM in Salt Lake City, then the Jazz will be back in action at home once again on Thursday as they host the Phoenix Suns.