The J-Notes
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Utah Jazz Week 21 Outlook: A double dose of Pelicans with a side of Grizzlies

By Jared Woodcox

NEW ORLEANS, LA - MARCH 11: Anthony Davis #23 of the New Orleans Pelicans shoots against Derrick Favors #15 of the Utah Jazz during the second half at the Smoothie King Center on March 11, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. 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. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - MARCH 11: Anthony Davis #23 of the New Orleans Pelicans shoots against Derrick Favors #15 of the Utah Jazz during the second half at the Smoothie King Center on March 11, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. 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. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
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NEW ORLEANS, LA – MARCH 11: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz drives with the ball during the first half against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center on March 11, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. 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. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA – MARCH 11: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz drives with the ball during the first half against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center on March 11, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. 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. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /

The Utah Jazz face three games against inferior but dangerous opponents in Week 21 of NBA action as their light conclusion to the year gets underway.

Well, Utah Jazz fans, we’ve finally made it. Every semblance of tough schedule that the Jazz had since the start of the season has passed. Now they face 20 remaining games in which they play 18 teams with worse records than them. Even the two other games – one vs. OKC and one vs. Denver – are on their home court and in relatively favorable schedule situations.

And heading into this crucial stretch during which the Jazz have a great opportunity to surge, they benefit from finding themselves 10 games above .500 and firmly positioned in sixth place in the West. There literally appears to be no scenario where they drop out of a postseason bid, and even finishing sixth or lower seems unlikely given the light nature of their schedule.

This friendly stretch kicks off in Week 21 with a trio of games that, while they’re certainly a part of the lighter conclusion to the season, won’t be easy by any means. The Jazz will begin the week at home on Monday against the New Orleans Pelicans, then head out on the road to face them yet again in The Big Easy on Wednesday.

Finally, the Jazz will conclude the week against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday on the road. While both of these teams are in the bottom four of the Western Conference, they’re still a couple of peckish teams that have undergone a lot of changes since the trade deadline be it in new faces, such as is the case for the Grizzlies, or unimaginable drama, which is the case for the Pelicans. Both teams are competitive and could very well give the Jazz a significant run for their money.

The good news is that they can’t hold a candle to the challenges the Jazz faced in Week 20 – a back-to-back against the Denver Nuggets after facing the LA Clippers and a tough bout against the Milwaukee Bucks. And despite that hard slate, the Jazz went 3-0, moving them to 36-26 on the year. I correctly predicted just one of the three outcomes, so my projections record moved to 37-25. The Jazz have nearly caught up to me and ideally they’ll continue to out-perform expectations from here.

They’ll have a great chance to do so in Week 21 as they face two competitive though under-performing squads in the Pelicans and Grizzlies. Let’s dissect each game and see just how well the Jazz ought to perform.

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