Jazz Schedule Outlook: Difficult Home Stretch Looming

The Utah Jazz have a tough final stretch to close out the year.

The Utah Jazz are down to their final nine games of the 2023-24 season. It's been a rough stretch since the trade deadline, and moving forward will be no different.

According to Tankathon.com, Utah has the third-hardest schedule, and its opponents' winning percentage is .580. Only the Phoenix Suns and Charlotte Hornets face a more difficult task. 

The Jazz may have faced their last losing team on Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs. Looking ahead, they’ll face the Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors, and Los Angeles Clippers twice. They’ll also play three playoff teams: the Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, and Sacramento Kings.

Team Tank has to be pleased with how the last part of the year has unfolded. Utah has the worst record in the NBA since the trade deadline, at 3-18. Retaining its 2023-24 first-round pick is all but a lock. The question that remains is whether they will have the eighth-best lottery odds or the ninth.

The Jazz are two games removed from securing the eighth spot and one game from being in a tie with the Brooklyn Nets. In the event of a tie, the Jazz would need to win a coin toss to secure No. 8.

For those fans that are counting, securing eight would increase the chances of getting the No. 1 pick by 1.5% and a top-four selection by 6 %.•

It’s been a bizarre year with all the recent tank talk. It’s not uncommon to cash in when you have an opportunity to spiral all the way to the bottom. However, it feels like Utah is tripping over dollars to pick up pennies as we close out the year.

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