How Jazz Can Climb the Rankings in the West on This Road Trip
The Utah Jazz fell short of the championship-contending Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night but not before beating the New Orleans Pelicans twice earlier in the week in a series sweep of the current No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. The Jazz are still missing Collin Sexton, but they continue to prove that they are a force, when healthy.
Against the current top 4 seeds in the West, the Jazz have a 7-3 record and are undefeated against the Pelicans and Memphis Grizzlies. The Jazz are also tied with the Dallas Mavericks with 11 wins against teams above .500.
The Jazz have battled injuries the past month or so and were also up against one of the toughest schedules in the league up to this point, but through all the adversity, they keep finding ways to win. They sit at No. 8 in the West with a record of 17-15 and are currently in the play-in position.
The West is still very much up in the air, with only 3.5 games separating the Jazz from the Grizzlies for the No. 1 seed. The Golden State Warriors were seen as the favorites coming into the 2022-23 season but have been battling their own injury bug and will have to play without Steph Curry indefinitely.
With no clear favorite in the West, the Jazz could make moves at the NBA trade deadline to solidify a playoff position and push them toward a deeper playoff run.
The Jazz will face former team star Donovan Mitchell for the first time as they face Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday, following up the contest against the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday, before finally heading home to play the Washington Wizards on Thursday.
If the Jazz can come away from this week 2-1, they could see themselves as high as the 5 or 6 seed as the battle for the West continues to settle.
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