The J-Notes
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Utah Jazz Week Six Outlook: Can Utah turn the corner?

By Jared Woodcox

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - NOVEMBER 17: Joe Ingles #2 of the Utah Jazz talks with head coach Quin Snyder of the Utah Jazz during the fourth quarter of the game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on November 17, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - NOVEMBER 17: Joe Ingles #2 of the Utah Jazz talks with head coach Quin Snyder of the Utah Jazz during the fourth quarter of the game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on November 17, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images) /
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MEMPHIS, TN – NOVEMBER 16: De’Aaron Fox #5 of the Sacramento Kings looks on during the game against the Memphis Grizzlies on November 16, 2018 at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. 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 Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
MEMPHIS, TN – NOVEMBER 16: De’Aaron Fox #5 of the Sacramento Kings looks on during the game against the Memphis Grizzlies on November 16, 2018 at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. 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 Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images) /

11/21 Utah vs. Sacramento

7:00 pm MT – AT&T SportsNet/League Pass

Opponent record: 8-8

Season series: Jazz lead 1-0

You’ve got to hand it to the Sacramento Kings thus far. They’ve surprised pretty much everyone with a much faster than expected start of 8-8. Along the way, they’ve earned some big-time wins against quality teams such as the San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder and Memphis Grizzlies. Not bad for a team that many thought would simply reside in the basement all year.

In fairness, I think as the season goes on and the schedule gets tougher, we’ll see their schedule slowly decline, but they’ve still looked better than expected, and Utah’s close bout with them to start the year doesn’t look nearly as discouraging as it did at the time.

However, in typical dysfunctional Kings fashion, there have been reports that head coach Dave Joerger is on the hot seat for playing vets more than recently drafted Marvin Bagley. Leave it to Sacramento to fire a coach for exceeding expectations. This will certainly be an aspect to monitor moving forward.

But the real story for the Kings has been the phenomenal play of De’Aaron Fox who’s already worthy of early consideration as the 2018-19 Most Improved Player. He’s averaging 19 points per game on electrifying shooting splits of 50.9 percent from the field and 42.3 percent from the perimeter while chipping in seven assists per contest. Those are some great marks.

The Kings are banking on developing a young core to ultimately turn into a force down the road. They’re off to a nice start so far this year in terms of their players looking good and a better than expected start, so it will be interesting to see whether or not it finally pays off.

In terms of Wednesday’s upcoming contest, though, I’m pinning the Utah Jazz as comfortable winners over the Kings. Sacramento is no slouch, but they simply don’t have the depth nor the experience to keep pace. The Jazz have matched up well against them in recent contests, and I expect that trend to only continue this week.

My Prediction: Jazz Win

Final Score: Utah 120, Sacramento 106

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