Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz.( Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Games 63 through 72
3/11 @ OKC: Jazz win 104 to 97
3/13 vs NOP: Jazz win 112 to 109
3/14 vs MEM: Grizzlies win 106 to 92
3/16 vs vs LAL: Jazz win 120 to 111
3/18 @ LAL: Lakers win 114 to 104
3/20 vs MIN: Jazz win 128 to 102
3/22 @ SAS: Spurs win 103 to 99
3/24 vs SAS: Jazz win 98 to 96
3/26 @ DAL: Jazz win 105 to 104
The Utah Jazz finally found some consistency going 6-3 in this stretch of nine games. Although they suffered a terrible blowout to the Memphis Grizzlies on the back end of a back to back, they were able to bounce back with a convincing home win over the Lakers.
The defense which we saw return on the four game road trip against the Cavaliers, Celtics, Knicks, and Pistons was legit. Only one opponent over this two week span scored over 110 points, that being the Los Angeles Lakers.
Given that they are led by LeBron James, who leads the league in assists, and that they have a top five offense in the association, there’s not much shame in giving up 120 points to the Lakers.
This was a much needed breath of fresh air given that the team had been on a roller coaster of winning 4-5 games, then losing 4-5 games since late January.
Now there’s only nine more games left on the schedule. Can the Jazz buckle up and finish ahead of some of their rivals in the Western Conference? The Nuggets and Rockets both went 5-2 during this stretch, and the heat has reached a boiling point in the standings.
<img src=https://thejnotes.com/2020/04/14/nba-2k-utah-jazz-regular-season/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_108,h_108,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fjazz__108x108.png"> <div class="story-link-text-box"> <span class="call_to_action">Related Story</span> <h3 class="title-text" style="color: #00265D;">2K20: Simulating with Gobert/Hayward/Mitchell core</h3> <p class="read-now">Read now >></p> </div> </a> </div>
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<p>Would the winner of tonight’s imaginary battle have moved on to clinch a top three seed in the Western Conference, and ultimately avoid the Los Angeles Lakers until the conference finals?</p>
<p>Would there be a big enough gap in the standings that one or both teams sit out all of their starting players to rest up for the playoffs? <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/04/14/nba-2k-utah-jazz-regular-season/2/"https://thejnotes.com/2019/04/04/utah-jazz-grayson-allens-career-game-anomaly-sign-things-come/">We saw this happen last year</a> when <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/04/14/nba-2k-utah-jazz-regular-season/2/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/allengr01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Grayson Allen</a> dropped 40 points on the Clippers’ B-Team.</p>
<p>Would the Utah Jazz have eclipsed 54 wins, the most I’ve witnessed them win in a single season? Would the defense have been in tip-top shape to face off against elite offensive teams in a seven game series?</p>
<p>Let’s turn to <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/04/14/nba-2k-utah-jazz-regular-season/2/"https://thejnotes.com/2020/03/31/utah-jazz-stockton-current-roster/">the NBA 2K20 simulator</a> for answers to these questions.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/04/14/nba-2k-utah-jazz-regular-season/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> March 11-26 </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_81677" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-81677 size-full" src=https://thejnotes.com/2020/04/14/nba-2k-utah-jazz-regular-season/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fthejnotes.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1183505404.jpeg" alt="Utah Jazz Rudy Gobert" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1183505404.jpeg 3200w, https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1183505404-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz.( Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>Games 63 through 72</h3>
<p><strong>3/11 @ OKC: </strong>Jazz win 104 to 97</p>
<p><strong>3/13 vs NOP: </strong>Jazz win 112 to 109</p>
<p><strong>3/14 vs MEM: </strong>Grizzlies win 106 to 92</p>
<p><strong>3/16 vs vs LAL: </strong>Jazz win 120 to 111</p>
<p><strong>3/18 @ LAL: </strong>Lakers win 114 to 104</p>
<p><strong>3/20 vs MIN: </strong>Jazz win 128 to 102</p>
<p><strong>3/22 @ SAS: </strong>Spurs win 103 to 99</p>
<p><strong>3/24 vs SAS: </strong>Jazz win 98 to 96</p>
<p><strong>3/26 @ DAL: </strong>Jazz win 105 to 104</p>
<p>The Utah Jazz finally <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/04/14/nba-2k-utah-jazz-regular-season/2/"https://thejnotes.com/2020/03/05/utah-jazz-great-spurts-need-better-throughout/">found some consistency</a> going 6-3 in this stretch of nine games. Although they suffered a terrible blowout to the Memphis Grizzlies on the back end of a back to back, they were able to bounce back with a convincing home win over the Lakers.</p>
<p>The defense which we saw return on the four game road trip against the Cavaliers, Celtics, Knicks, and Pistons was legit. Only one opponent over this two week span scored over 110 points, that being the Los Angeles Lakers.</p>
<p>Given that they are led by LeBron James, who leads the league in assists, and that they have a top five offense in the association, there’s not much shame in giving up 120 points to the Lakers.</p>
<p>This was a much needed breath of fresh air given that the team had been on a roller coaster of winning 4-5 games, then losing 4-5 games since late January.</p>
<p>Now there’s only nine more games left on the schedule. Can the Jazz buckle up and finish ahead of some of their rivals in the Western Conference? The Nuggets and Rockets both went 5-2 during this stretch, and the heat has reached a boiling point in the standings.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/04/14/nba-2k-utah-jazz-regular-season/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> March 28 - April 14 </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-73553 size-full" src=https://thejnotes.com/2020/04/14/nba-2k-utah-jazz-regular-season/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fthejnotes.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1057043308.jpeg" alt="Utah Jazz Joe Ingles" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1057043308.jpeg 3200w, https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1057043308-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Joe Ingles, Utah Jazz. Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>Games 73 through 82</h3>
<p><strong>3/28 vs ATL </strong>Jazz win 115 to 109</p>
<p><strong>3/30 vs CHI </strong>Jazz win 107 to 105</p>
<p><strong>4/1 vs CLE </strong>Jazz win 114 to 97</p>
<p><strong>4/2 @ POR </strong>Trail-Blazers win 124 to 110</p>
<p><strong>4/5 @ DEN </strong>Nuggets win 130 to 122</p>
<p><strong>4/7 vs LAC </strong>Jazz win 121 to 116</p>
<p><strong>4/11 @ PHX </strong>Jazz win 113 to 101</p>
<p><strong>4/13 @ OKC </strong>Thunder win 125 to 118</p>
<p><strong>4/14 vs DEN </strong>Jazz win 104 to 96</p>
<p>In this final stretch of games there were four critical contests against inner-division rivals that ultimately determined the fate of playoff seeding. The Jazz went 1-3 in those games, choking at the finish line and hurting their playoff position.</p>
<p>By the time the regular season finale came, the Utah Jazz had already lost control of the third seed in the Western Conference to the Denver Nuggets. Both teams rested their top rotation players all except for <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/04/14/nba-2k-utah-jazz-regular-season/2/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/i/inglejo01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Joe Ingles</a>, who refuses to sit out a game he’s healthy enough to play in.</p>
<p>Not surprisingly, all three of the losses in this stretch came when the other team scored more than 120 points. The Jazz now know for sure that if they fail to defend, they fail to win against playoff opponents.</p>
<p>Now they have just three days to rest and prepare for their playoff series which starts far away from the friendly confines of Vivint Smart Home Arena.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/04/14/nba-2k-utah-jazz-regular-season/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Final Standings </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-82018" src=https://thejnotes.com/2020/04/14/nba-2k-utah-jazz-regular-season/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fthejnotes.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1196268790.jpeg" alt="Utah Jazz" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1196268790.jpeg 3200w, https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1196268790-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Bojan Bogdanovic, Utah Jazz. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>Western Conference Standings</h3>
<ol>
<li>Los Angeles Lakers……………. 64-18</li>
<li>Los Angeles Clippers………….. 57-25</li>
<li>Denver Nuggets………………… 54-28</li>
<li>Oklahoma City Thunder……… 54-28</li>
<li>Houston Rockets……………….. 53-29</li>
<li>Utah Jazz……………………………. 53-29</li>
<li>Dallas Mavericks…………………. 51-31</li>
<li>Memphis Grizzlies………………. 42-40</li>
<li>Portland Trail-Blazers…………. 38-44</li>
<li>New Orleans Pelicans…………. 37-45</li>
</ol>
<p>Here is how the Western Conference shook out with the final 18-20 games being played for each team. The two teams from Los Angeles comfortably secured the top two seeds in the conference, and a battle in the conference finals seems inevitable at this point.</p>
<p>Then log-jammed just within a single game of each other are seeds 3-6. The Denver Nuggets tied with the Oklahoma City Thunder for the best record in the Northwest division, and the third seed.</p>
<p>They also tied their four game season series at two games apiece. Therefore the tie-breaker came via division record, which the Nuggets won by a landslide. The went 13-3 against their inner-division rivals, whereas the Thunder went 10-6.</p>
<p>The biggest shocker of this stretch run in my opinion was the Oklahoma City Thunder. They were unstoppable in their final 18 games, winning 14 of them and securing home court advantage in the playoffs against all odds.</p>
<p>Most NBA experts didn’t think this team would be above .500 this season, which really speaks to the value of <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/04/14/nba-2k-utah-jazz-regular-season/2/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/paulch01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Chris Paul</a> despite his 34 year old body getting older by the minute. The only team that played better during the stretch run was the Los Angeles Lakers, who went 15-4.</p>
<p>The exciting battle for the last playoff seed in the West and the Rookie of the Year crown goes to <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/04/14/nba-2k-utah-jazz-regular-season/2/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/moranja01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Ja Morant</a> and the Memphis Grizzlies. As for <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/04/14/nba-2k-utah-jazz-regular-season/2/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/willizi01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Zion Williamson</a> and the Pelicans, they squandered too many winnable games during the home stretch and fell to 10th place.</p>
<p>The Utah Jazz were just a couple of wins away from securing that elusive top-3 seed, but were actually given a blessing in disguise. They get to play the Denver Nuggets in the first round, a much more preferable match-up than the Houston Rockets.</p>
<p>The Nuggets were a great team at home this season, going 25-8 in real life before the hiatus and 6-2 in the NBA 2K simulation. Quin Snyder and his team will have their hands full as they try to steal a game or two in Pepsi Center and come off with the series upset.</p>
<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="Rudy Gobert speaks out on feud with Mitchell" data-url="https://thejnotes.com/2020/04/12/utah-jazz-rudy-gobert-sets-record-straight/" data-call-to-action="Next"> <div class="story-link-next"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/04/14/nba-2k-utah-jazz-regular-season/2/"https://thejnotes.com/2020/04/12/utah-jazz-rudy-gobert-sets-record-straight/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> Rudy Gobert speaks out on feud with Mitchell </a> </div>
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<p>Although it’s not a real life scenario, I thoroughly enjoyed this exercise. It rekindled my excitement of what the NBA holds once basketball does return again, whether that happens this summer or late this fall.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">