The Utah Jazz can inch ever closer to clinching a playoff berth by earning an important win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday evening.
Things are really looking up for the Utah Jazz in terms of their playoff odds after logging a convincing road win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday to propel themselves into sixth place in the Western Conference with just five games remaining in the regular season. That leaves Utah’s magic number to solidify a playoff spot at just three more wins, a feat they can accomplish this week if the chips fall right.
That will need to begin with a critical home contest on Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Jazz haven’t seen the Lakers since October where they won a low-scoring 96-81 affair in relatively convincing fashion.
Oh yeah, and just as a refresher, that was the game where Donovan Mitchell did this:
It was the first of many highlights that have since come from the rookie phenom.
The Lakers have been eliminated from playoff contention, but with nine games separating them and the ‘tankers’ in the bottom four of the Western Conference standings, it doesn’t make much sense for them to look to do anything other than play their hardest and rack up as many wins as they can, which will be vital for the experience of their young guns.
The Lakers went on a bit of a run in January in February where they posted a 15-10 record which included a 7-3 mark in February. They were never truly a threat for a playoff spot, but they certainly flirted with tenth place and logged some big wins during that span including against the San Antonio Spurs, Indiana Pacers, Boston Celtics, and Oklahoma City Thunder (twice).
In the month of March, they toppled the Spurs once again as well as the Cleveland Cavaliers and Denver Nuggets. In other words, this is a team that has been playing spoiler and Utah can’t afford to be caught unaware.
Lakers injury update: Brandon Ingram (concussion protocol) stayed back in Los Angeles and is not with the team in Utah. Lonzo Ball (knee contusion) is in Utah with the squad, but is doubtful for Tuesday’s game.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) April 2, 2018
However, they’ve been in a bit of a slump of late, losing seven of their last ten and two in a row, including a disappointing defeat at the hands of the Sacramento Kings on Sunday. Injuries have played a key part in their struggles as Isaiah Thomas is out for the season, Brandon Ingram has been out as he goes through concussion protocol and Lonzo Ball is dealing with a knee contusion that will likely leave him sidelined for Tuesday’s bout.
Brook Lopez also is suffering from tightness in his back and is questionable for the Jazz-Lakers matchup.
With the Lakers being so banged up, one might presume that they’d provide an easy victory for the Jazz, but such won’t necessarily be the case. They’ve had some players step up exceptionally well of late that the Jazz will absolutely have to stop. Let’s initiate Utah’s three keys to victory by discussing that very pair.