The J-Notes
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Can the Utah Jazz Hang On to the Fourth Seed in the West?

By Taylor Griffin

Mar 15, 2017; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward (20) high fives center Boris Diaw (33) during the fourth quarter against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 15, 2017; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward (20) high fives center Boris Diaw (33) during the fourth quarter against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports /
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With 13 games remaining on the schedule, can the Utah Jazz keep a hold of the fourth spot in the Western Conference?

The 2016-17 NBA season is nearly in the books. The Utah Jazz have had a great season, despite numerous injuries to key players. Despite dropping a tough, hard-fought game Wednesday night in Cleveland, the Jazz are still in the fourth-seed chair in the Western Conference at 43-26. They own a three-game lead over the fifth-placed Los Angeles Clippers, and a 3.5-game lead over division rival Oklahoma City Thunder.

With 13 games remaining on Utah’s schedule, can the Jazz hang onto that lead and secure home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs? Doing so would be huge for the Jazz as it would allow them to start their first playoff series in five years on their home court at Vivint SmartHome Arena. Here is a look at their remaining schedule and most important games.

Mar 16, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) blocks a shot by Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) in the third quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 16, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) blocks a shot by Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) in the third quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /

Remaining Schedule

The Jazz have one of the tougher remaining schedules in the NBA, with upcoming games against some of the league’s best. Six of the remaining 13 games come against current playoff opponents, as well as several other games against teams that are outside the picture trying to get in.

The average winning percentage of the Jazz’s remaining opponents is .569, which is one of the highest in the league. Considering their struggling record against opponents with a winning record (12-19), this is somewhat concerning; although, the Jazz have picked up huge wins over current playoff teams in the last week. If the Jazz are going to retain the fourth spot in the West, they will need to play their best basketball and beat good teams.

The Jazz essentially split remaining games between being home and away, with six games in Salt Lake City and seven on the road. This should not be a huge factor, considering their strong road record and ability to close games away from home.

Click here to see all the Jazz remaining games.

Utah Jazz Dante Exum
Feb 4, 2017; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz guard Dante Exum (11) takes a shot against Charlotte Hornets center Miles Plumlee (18) and guard Kemba Walker (15) in the third quarter at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Utah Jazz defeated the Charlotte Hornets 105-98. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports /

Most Important Games

At this point in the season, you can make the point that all games are important. This argument is valid and true, as most teams can’t afford losses with the standings as close as they are currently. The Jazz don’t have many games to spare, three to be exact, so each game carries high importance and will determine their ultimate playoff destiny.

Nevertheless, there are some games that have more importance than others, with these games coming against other teams vying for the fourth seed or the division crown. Here are a few games that will have the most impact on the Jazz’s fourth seed chances:

Mar 13, 2017; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; LA Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) pushes Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) away from LA Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) during the fourth quarter at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Utah Jazz won the game 114-108. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 13, 2017; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; LA Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) pushes Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) away from LA Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) during the fourth quarter at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Utah Jazz won the game 114-108. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports /

@ Los Angeles Clippers: March 25th, 1:30 PM

In what turned out to be one of the best games of the year, the Jazz defeated the Clippers earlier this week in Salt Lake City. That was a crucial game, and so will their next match-up with the Clippers next Saturday afternoon.

The Clippers are three games back of the Jazz right now, and with head-to-head losses that lead can disappear in a hurry. This game should be interesting to see how it unfolds, considering the scuffle that occurred in this week’s game between Rudy Gobert and basically the entire Clippers team.

The Clippers have not played their best basketball as of late, coming off three straight losses. Expect them to bounce back and give the Jazz a good game in LA next Saturday.

Nov 4, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz forward Joe Johnson (6) goes up for a shot in front of San Antonio Spurs center Pau Gasol (16) during the first half at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 4, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz forward Joe Johnson (6) goes up for a shot in front of San Antonio Spurs center Pau Gasol (16) during the first half at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports /

@ San Antonio Spurs: April 2, 1:30 PM

This game turns out to be one of the more important games of the final stretch because it is probably the most difficult. It comes before the Jazz take on three non-playoff teams, so if they can get a victory in San Antonio before heading into that weaker stretch, they can build a nice little winning streak to pad their lead on the fourth seed.

The Jazz have not played well historically in San Antonio, but came out with a surprising victory there earlier this year. As stated earlier, the Jazz have been terrific on the road this season and it would be a huge win for the Jazz psychologically to be able to take down of the league’s best teams right before the playoffs.

@ Golden State Warriors:April 10 8:30 PM &

San Antonio Spurs, April 12, 8:30 PM

These two games are lumped together, being the last two games of the regular season for the Jazz. Utah missed out on the playoffs last year by one game, which they squandered in their final games with bad losses. The Jazz will not want to leave it up to the final two games this year, as they come up against arguably the two best teams in the NBA.

It is important to note as well that Golden State and San Antonio are in a close fight for the first seed in the West. If this continues, don’t expect either team to rest starters to gear up for the playoffs.

More from The J-Notes

With 13 games to go, the Jazz control their own destiny for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. They are in good position to win the Northwest Division title, which would be their first division title in years.

But the road ahead isn’t easy and the Jazz need to finish strong in order to secure this title, and continue their success into the playoffs.

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