NBA 2K: How would the Utah Jazz have finished the regular season?

With the NBA season on hiatus, I left it to NBA 2K20 to simulate how the Utah Jazz would have finished the 2019-20 regular season.

The date is April 14th, and we are still in the unknown as far as whether the Utah Jazz will get a chance to finish their 2020 campaign. Had things gone as planned, today would be the regular season finale.

The Jazz would have been playing their third game in four nights, and be on the back end of a back to back. They would be hosting the Denver Nuggets in Vivint Smart Home Arena, in what may have been a battle for the Northwest Division title.

The Jazz and Nuggets have been intertwined for nearly a year now. Both teams had high hopes to join the upper echelon of title contenders, but lacked a traditional superstar. They take a back seat in the media to the likes of the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, and Los Angeles Lakers.

Both teams have built their scheme around a plodding 7-foot center, which is pretty rare in today’s NBA. Most teams try to secure their star power on a player that plays on the perimeter, and can create his own shot in a pinch.

Would the winner of tonight’s imaginary battle have moved on to clinch a top three seed in the Western Conference, and ultimately avoid the Los Angeles Lakers until the conference finals?

Would there be a big enough gap in the standings that one or both teams sit out all of their starting players to rest up for the playoffs? We saw this happen last year when Grayson Allen dropped 40 points on the Clippers’ B-Team.

Would the Utah Jazz have eclipsed 54 wins, the most I’ve witnessed them win in a single season? Would the defense have been in tip-top shape to face off against elite offensive teams in a seven game series?

Let’s turn to the NBA 2K20 simulator for answers to these questions.