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Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images
The Utah Jazz have just four games left and they’re looking to improve their pick
The Utah Jazz will host the defending champion Denver Nuggets for the final time this season on Tuesday night. In what will mercifully be the 4th to last game of a forgettable season for the Jazz. Utah will look to break their twelve-game losing streak and pick up at least one more win before next week’s finale. It’s not going to be easy against a Nuggets team that has won 3 of their last 4 and is battling for the West’s number one spot before the playoffs start. It’s hard to believe, but the Nuggets may be an underrated team in the Western Conference right now, and this matchup will be a David vs. Goliath task for the Jazz to overcome.
This game may not seem that crucial for Denver(it’s not in the grand scheme of things), but with only 4 games left, there is no room for error if they want to earn the #1 seed before contending for another championship. If Denver can get this win, they set themselves up for a battle with the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday that will likely determine the top seed. There are a lot of good things to say about the Nuggets, they do everything well and they have the experience needed to put this game away very quickly if they are focused from the start.
It’s hard to picture a win even for the biggest of Jazz “homers” out there, but this game has all the elements of a potential upset. It’s a proverbial trap game for Denver who may be looking ahead to tomorrow night’s home tilt against Minnesota. If Utah can limit the turnovers and get off to a quick start, they can build enough confidence to make it a tough game. The Jazz have no way to stop a player like Nikola Jokic but it will be key for Walker Kessler and other Jazz big men to play tough defense and try to slow Jokic down a little bit. This will also be a big test defensively for the entire Jazz team as they try to slow down the offensive machine that is the Nuggets. If they can be even moderately successful on the defensive end and take care of the ball, it will be anyone’s game.
It doesn’t seem that long ago that Utah and Denver played meaningful playoff games in the bubble. Although this game might not have as much intrigue or hype coming in, it will still be entertaining to see if the Jazz can have the fortitude to even hang with the Nuggets. If they keep it close, they will give themselves a chance at the end, especially with the home crowd and the fans desperately hoping they can get at least one win before the offseason. GO JAZZ!!
Game Info
When: April 7 - 7:00 PM MT
Where: Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
Watch/Stream at: KJZZ, Jazz+
Listen at: SiriusXM, KSL 97.5 FM
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