Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder guard Josh Giddey makes an attempt a layup towards Jazz heart Walker Kessler throughout recreation at Vivint Area in Salt Lake Metropolis, Feb. 23, 2023. The Jazz and Thunder are among the many groups jockeying for playoff spots. Ryan Solar, Deseret Information
Utah Jazz coach Will Hardy reacts from the sideline throughout recreation towards Sacramento at Vivint Area in Salt Lake Metropolis on March 20, 2023. Ryan Solar, Deseret Information
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Up to now couple of weeks the Utah Jazz have gone from being firmly within the play-in event race, to having a legit shot at a playoff spot, to out of the play-in primarily based on present standings.
The dangerous information is that as you’re studying this, I can not definitively inform you the place in all the standings mess the Jazz may find yourself when the 2022-23 season ends in simply two weeks. That’s how tight issues are within the Western Convention.
However there are a number of key issues to take a look at because the season winds down, the primary of which is tiebreakers. The groups the Jazz appear to be they may more than likely (I say more than likely as a result of something might occur) find yourself tied with on the finish of the season are the Lakers, Pelicans, Thunder and Mavericks.
If the Jazz find yourself tied with a kind of groups for one of many play-in spots, it’s vital to know which approach the chips would fall for the Jazz. There are a few of these that we are able to simply predict or which have already been determined.
The Jazz swept the Pelicans this season, 3-0, in order that they have the higher hand on any tiebreaker state of affairs with New Orleans. The Jazz misplaced their season collection towards the Mavericks, profitable only one out of 4 video games, so Dallas will personal that tiebreaker.
We will fairly simply predict what is going to occur towards the Thunder. The Jazz have yet another recreation towards OKC this season (April 6) and if the Jazz win that recreation, they'd tie with the Thunder on the head-to-head matchups (2-2). However the Thunder would nonetheless personal the tiebreaker over the Jazz due to their report towards divisional groups this season.
Though the season hasn’t wrapped up, the Jazz solely have two extra video games towards divisional foes and that’s not sufficient to make up the distinction between their very own and the Thunder’s report towards groups within the Northwest Division.
The Lakers are going to be difficult. The Jazz play them two extra occasions this season (April 4 and April 9) and because the Jazz have two wins towards the Lakers already this season, a tiebreaker might come all the way down to the final recreation of the yr. If the Jazz win on April 4, then it’s not an issue — we'd know proper then that the Jazz would personal the tiebreaker.
But when the Jazz lose to the Lakers on April 4, then the April 9 recreation would matter an entire lot extra. And if the Jazz lose each video games, issues don’t get any simpler to foretell. Since neither workforce is a divisional chief and so they aren’t in the identical division, the subsequent tie-breaking standards is the win-loss report towards Western Convention groups, and proper now, the Jazz and Lakers have the very same report, 22-24, in that column.
So if this comes all the way down to the Lakers and the Jazz, the final recreation of the season may very well be the one which decides all of it.
New with the Jazz
This week on ‘Unsalvageable’
Take a look at “Unsalvageable,” hosted by Deseret Information Utah Jazz beat reporter Sarah Todd and lifelong Jazz fan Greg Foster (no, not that Greg Foster).
This week, the crew talks the return of Jarrell Brantley to the Jazz on a 10-day deal and appears on the wild and bizarre schedule the Jazz have by means of the remainder of the season.
New episodes come out each week. You may hear on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher and wherever else you stream podcasts.
Stat of the week
On Saturday, Jazz rookie Walker Kessler scored a career-high 31 factors to go along with 11 rebounds in a loss to the Sacramento Kings. Kessler leads the league in area objective proportion (72.2%) and is fourth within the NBA in blocks per recreation (2.3).
From the archives
Additional factors
- Jazz launch comedian themed awards campaigns for Markkanen and Kessler (Deseret Information)
- The Jazz rebuild didn’t begin with a full-on tank. It was extra of a tank-lite (Deseret Information)
- Ja Morant’s suspension is over however his journey is simply starting (The Ringer)
- What Joe Ingles mentioned about his return to Utah (Deseret Information)
Across the league
The Dallas Mavericks are in a tailspin and Luka Doncic is dealing with a one-game suspension.
LeBron James returns for Lakers, delays potential foot surgical procedure.
OKC’s Jalen Williams may very well be difficult Orlando’s Paolo Banchero for ROY.
Up subsequent
March 27 | 7 p.m. | Utah Jazz vs. Phoenix Suns | AT&T SportsNet
March 29 | 6 p.m. | Utah Jazz @ San Antonio Spurs | AT&T SportsNet
March 31 | 5:30 p.m. | Utah Jazz @ Boston Celtics | AT&T SportsNet
April 2 | 1:30 p.m. | Utah Jazz @ Brooklyn Nets | AT&T SportsNet
Utah Jazz coach Will Hardy reacts from the sideline throughout recreation towards Sacramento at Vivint Area in Salt Lake Metropolis on March 20, 2023.
Ryan Solar, Deseret Information