The Utah Jazz will look to earn their 11th win in 12 games as they visit the Phoenix Suns in their third to last road game of the year.
If it feels like the Utah Jazz have seen a lot of the Phoenix Suns of late, you’re not mistaken. Wednesday’s contest between the two teams will mark the third matchup in the past three weeks. Unsurprisingly, the Jazz have won both previous matchups as well as the first earlier in the season.
Considering that the Suns have more losses than the Jazz have wins, this isn’t all that surprising. There’s some talent on their team, to be sure. Look no further than Devin Booker who dropped 59 points on the Jazz in the last meeting. However, chemistry, depth and experience are hard to find anywhere on the roster, which has resulted in Phoenix landing at the bottom of the Western Conference Standings this year.
As such, this is a game that the Jazz will be expected to win. Nevertheless, they still can’t afford to get complacent. With the playoffs just around the corner and home court advantage in the first round still very much in play, Utah has to continue to be focused and play up to their utmost potential so as to keep their streak of 10 wins in 11 games alive and make it 11 out of 12.
In the last meeting, the Jazz found themselves in an odd matchup as former BYU phenom and local fan favorite Jimmer Fredette was in town in just his second game with the Suns. With the Jazz winning in blowout fashion, Fredette’s every move resulted in hearty applause from the crowd. Unfortunately for him, it didn’t go so well as he finished just 1-of-10 from the field.
However, if Phoenix head coach Igor Kokoskov is to be believed, it sounds like Fredette will get a second chance to prove himself in Wednesday’s bout. In a recent interview, Igor stated that Jimmer would be playing more beginning in this bout against Utah. He played better in the sole contest he’s appeared in since the loss to the Jazz – 2-of-3 shooting for six points against the Cleveland Cavaliers – so Kokoskov likely feels he’s getting more into a comfortable groove.
Regardless of if the Jimmer of old appears or not, this still should be an easy win for the Jazz. Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell are both coming off solid performances and have looked as locked in and effective as ever of late. With only five games remaining in the regular season, this is the team’s time to make a final push and take all the momentum possible into the postseason.
There’s no question in my mind that they can do just that, beginning with Wednesday’s bout in Phoenix. I’m expecting a big win for the Jazz, just as we’ve seen them put up against the Suns each time this season.
My Prediction: Jazz 121, Suns 98
The battle between the Jazz and Suns tips off at 8:00 PM MT. Be sure to join the conversation by tuning into our live comment stream below!