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Utah Jazz 2017-18 Week 26 Outlook, Predictions

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 8: Joe Ingles #2 of the Utah Jazz and Ricky Rubio #3 of the Utah Jazz high-five after the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on April 8, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Man
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 8: Joe Ingles #2 of the Utah Jazz and Ricky Rubio #3 of the Utah Jazz high-five after the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on April 8, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Man
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LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 8: Joe Ingles #2 of the Utah Jazz and Ricky Rubio #3 of the Utah Jazz high-five after the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on April 8, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 8: Joe Ingles #2 of the Utah Jazz and Ricky Rubio #3 of the Utah Jazz high-five after the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on April 8, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Utah Jazz control their destiny for the third seed in the West with just two games remaining in the final week of the NBA regular season.

As hard as it is to believe, the final week of the 2017-18 NBA regular season is here, with Wednesday being the final day of action before the postseason gets underway beginning on Saturday. It’s been an exhilarating season across the board with several surprise teams, tightly contested playoff races and much, much more.

But perhaps no team has been quite as exciting as the Utah Jazz, who came into the season with low expectations after losing both Gordon Hayward and George Hill, started out the year just 19-28, but then managed to bounce back in a big way to become just the fourth team in the West to clinch a playoff spot while now holding a 47-33 record.

They were able to get to that mark thanks to phenomenal play of late which included a 3-0 stint last week with a pair of victories over the Los Angeles Lakers and an additional win over the LA Clippers. I was spot-on in my prediction of how the Jazz would fare last week, so my projections record remained just a game behind the Jazz once again at 46-34.

However, these final games of the season are going to be as hard to predict as any. Utah will face just a pair of contests to close out the season, as they’ll take on the Golden State Warriors at home on Tuesday, then visit the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday at the Moda Center. The Warriors are solidified in the two-seed, so it remains to be seen whether or not they’ll rest players or come out with any sense of motivation at all.

Meanwhile, if the Jazz win on Tuesday or if both they and the Blazers (who will visit the desperate Denver Nuggets) both lose their next game, then the game on April 11 will be a showdown for third place in the West. With that being the case, and with the likes of the New Orleans Pelicans, San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder all lurking at Utah’s heels, you can bet that both teams are going to come out motivated and determined to earn a defining win.

That final game of the year will certainly have significant playoff implications and could be a nice preview for the intensity that lies ahead starting this upcoming weekend.

With that all being said, let’s take a deeper look at Utah’s pair of bouts this week and try to do our best to dissect what will come of both contests during a time of year when games are about as hard to predict as they can be.

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