The J-Notes
Fansided

Utah Jazz: Ranking Utah’s potential playoff matchups

By Tyler Thorpe

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - JANUARY 30: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz drives to the basket against Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors of the Utah Jazz of the Golden State Warriors at vivint.SmartHome Arena on January 30, 2018 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - JANUARY 30: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz drives to the basket against Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors of the Utah Jazz of the Golden State Warriors at vivint.SmartHome Arena on January 30, 2018 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 8
Next
Utah Jazz Portland Trail Blazers Rudy Gobert
SALT LAKE CITY, UT – FEBRUARY 23: Rudy Gobert #27 of the Utah Jazz blocks the shot against the Portland Trail Blazers on February 23, 2018 at vivint.SmartHome Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images) /

4. Portland Trail Blazers

Utah vs Portland: 2-1 (One game remaining)

While Portland’s 13-game win streak may have ended at the hands of the Rockets last week, the Trail Blazers have been one of the league’s most impressive teams of 2018. After another uninspiring start to the season, many thought that it was time for Portland to blow it up and hit the reset button, but they’ve certainly proved that wrong.

Portland currently sits in the West’s third spot, a full two games ahead of fourth place OKC. This means that the Jazz will most likely have to climb to the West’s sixth seed to play Portland in the opening round.

This is the first potential matchup of our list that I could see Utah winning. Portland’s recent hot streak may deter many Jazz fans from hoping for a first-round matchup with Damian Lillard and Co., though. Utah dropped its most recent matchup against Portland in a 100-81 defeat at home, however, they won the season’s first two games by a combined 28 points.

Portland’s one-two punch of Lillard and C.J. McCollum would pose a tough matchup for Utah’s stingy defense, however, I would expect Ricky Rubio and Donovan Mitchell should be up to the task. While Portland also boasts star-power similar to other teams on this list, they don’t have the same kind of playoff experience as teams like Golden State and OKC.

The last game of the regular season pits these two teams against each other and could serve as a preview of what could be an entertaining first-round series.

This one is a toss-up for me, however, Lillard tips the scales slightly in Portland’s favor. Sorry, Jazz fans.

Prediction: Portland wins 4-3

Home/Jazz News