Utah Jazz vs Spurs: Can the Jazz continue their climb up the standings?
The Utah Jazz look to sweep their season series with the San Antonio Spurs for the first time since the 2009-10 season.
The last time the Utah Jazz swept the regular season series with the San Antonio Spurs, I was in middle school. On Friday, they have a chance to do it again for the first time since the Deron Williams/Carlos Boozer days. While the Jazz are playing on the second night of a back to back, this has been the case for every other game against the Spurs so far this season.
To say this is a crucial game for both the Jazz and the Spurs would be a massive understatement. Both teams are fighting tooth and nail against one another and a slew of other teams for playoff positioning.
As of right now (the standings are erratic and will change before the end of games tonight), the Spurs are sitting at No. 6 in the Western Conference standings with a one game lead over the Jazz, who are sitting at No. 8.
If the Jazz are able to secure the win, they could potentially see themselves rise as high as the sixth-seed depending on the outcomes of other games.
The key to obtaining this win will be to contain All-Star big man LaMarcus Aldridge.
Make sure to keep an eye on the Jazz’s offensive production as well. The Jazz have logged a phenomenal 110.5 offensive rating so far this season when matched up against the Spurs. If thiat has any bearing on this game, the Jazz’s offense should be able to lead them to victory.
Donovan Mitchell‘s resurgence from behind the 3-point arc could go a long way toward maintaining that level of production.
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Against Sacramento last Saturday, Mitchell went 1-for-8 behind the arc. He followed this up by going 1-for-10 and 1-for-6 against Atlanta and Dallas respectively. The Jazz were able to go 2-1 during this stretch of poor shooting, but that is largely because of the level of competition they were facing and a strong defensive effort.
Thankfully, Mitchell’s contributions aren’t limited to just 3-pointers. Despite his slump from distance, he’s still managed to average 26.0 points per game over the aforementioned stretch.
Overall, if the Jazz can contain Aldridge and Mitchell can continue his development into a superstar and break out of his recent 3-point shooting slump, the Jazz should come out on top. Doing so will allow them to keep climbing the Western Conference standings and put them in prime position for the playoffs that are just around the corner.