Are the Utah Jazz the most unlucky team in the NBA?

Most NBA observers probably don’t associate the Utah Jazz with bad luck. At 28-10, they’re in the thick of contention for the NBA championship. They roster a genuine offensive hub in Donovan Mitchell, and an elite defensive anchor in Rudy Gobert. That’s to say nothing of arguably the best second unit in the National Basketball Association.

Still, there is a certain point of view from which the Utah Jazz are extremely unlucky. That point of view emerges from their record in clutch games.

Utah Jazz have bad luck when it matters

As it stands, the Jazz are 9-9 in the clutch. A game is considered clutch when the margin is within 5 points with 5 minutes or less remaining in the game. Some may argue that luck has nothing to do with Utah’s performance. A cynic may say that they simply need to execute in those situations.

The issue with that argument is, they have. The team has a +12.6 Net Rating in clutch situations. For context, that’s the 8th best rating in the entire league. The 9th place Grizzlies (12.1) are 12-6 in similar situations. The 11th place 76ers (6.6) are 13-11. Even the woefully disappointing Los Angeles Lakers are 13-10 in clutch situations in spite of a 14th place 2.1 Net Rating.

Utah Jazz fans should remain optimistic

Here’s the thing about luck: it tends to change. Unless you’re highly superstitious, there’s no reason to believe the Jazz will continue to perform at a higher level in clutch situations than their record indicates. This feels like a statistical quirk, and statistical quirks tend to normalize. The Utah Jazz are one of the best teams in the NBA, and eventually, that reality will be reflected in clutch situations.

Besides, luck is a factor in professional sports whether we like it or not. Hopefully, it will begin to favor the Utah Jazz in the clutch as the 2021-22 season continues.