The J-Notes
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Utah Jazz Week 26 Outlook: Will final two games of season hold any bearing?

By Jared Woodcox

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - MARCH 29: Rudy Gobert #27 of the Utah Jazz celebrates a basket during a game against the Washington Wizards at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 29, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. 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 Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - MARCH 29: Rudy Gobert #27 of the Utah Jazz celebrates a basket during a game against the Washington Wizards at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 29, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. 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 Alex Goodlett/Getty Images) /
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NEW ORLEANS, LA – MARCH 6: Rudy Gobert #27 of the Utah Jazz celebrates after the game against the New Orleans Pelicans on March 6, 2019 at the Smoothie King Center 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch Jr./NBAE via Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA – MARCH 6: Rudy Gobert #27 of the Utah Jazz celebrates after the game against the New Orleans Pelicans on March 6, 2019 at the Smoothie King Center 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch Jr./NBAE via Getty Images) /

The Utah Jazz face a pair of playoff-bound teams in the Denver Nuggets and LA Clippers in the final week of the 2018-19 NBA regular season.

Well, we’ve finally made it to the final week of the NBA season. And as one would suspect of the wild, wild Western Conference, there’s still a lot to be determined in the final games. The Utah Jazz lost a lot of momentum towards home court advantage by suffering a disappointing loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, and though they technically still have a shot at earning it, their chances are extremely low.

That defeat was a lone blemish on an otherwise perfect week in which the Jazz finished 3-1 to move to 49-31 on the year. I thought the Jazz would go 4-0, so I likewise went 3-1 to move to 51-30.

Now Utah has just two games remaining and, quite frankly, if the Houston Rockets defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night, neither game will have any bearing whatsoever. A Houston win would mean the Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers are solidified in the fourth and fifth spots, with the only way that they could flip flop being that Utah wins out and Portland loses out.

Considering the Blazers play the lottery-bound Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers while the Jazz play the Denver Nuggets and LA Clippers, that’s not likely to happen.

In fact, it’s hard to have any idea what will happen this week. Teams, including the Jazz, may be resting players for one or both games, especially if the seeding is set. Or, in some instances to avoid certain matchups, it may be more advantageous for teams to lose rather than win.

As such, predicting Utah’s final two games of the season is essentially a crap shoot. Even so I’ll do my best to weigh in on how I think these two contests will play out.

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