Jazz Host Nuggets In Final Home Game
Apr 7, 2023, 1:04 PM
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Jazz will host the Denver Nuggets on Saturday afternoon in their final home game of the season.
The Jazz were eliminated from playoff contention by the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday with two games left to play.
Meanwhile, the Nuggets may need to beat the Jazz to lock up the top seed in the Western Conference.
Jazz Out Of Playoff Contention
Despite low expectations entering the year, the Jazz stayed competitive in the Western Conference playoff race until the season’s final week.
But, with just two games left to play in the regular season, the Jazz have more incentive to lose than to win.
The Mavericks can pull into a tie with the Jazz in the final standings if the Jazz win both of their final games (vs. Denver, at Lakers) and the Mavericks lose their final two contests (vs. Chicago, vs. San Antonio). https://t.co/ZjlQYmcIPy
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) April 7, 2023
Sitting at 36-44, the Jazz can guarantee themselves no worse than the ninth-best odds of winning the draft lottery by losing one of their two final games of the season.
If the Jazz were to win both Saturday against the Nuggets and Sunday against the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Dallas Mavericks were to lose their final two games, the two teams would pull into an even 38-44 tie to finish the year, sharing lowered odds of winning the lottery.
The Mavericks will close the season at home against the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs.
Nuggets May Need Win To Clinch
Though the Nuggets have owned the top record in the West since December 20, they still haven’t locked up the conference’s number overall seed entering the final weekend of the season.
The Nuggets either need to win one of their two final games, or see the Memphis Grizzlies drop one of their last two outings to ensure the top spot in the West.
Denver has been resting its stars in recent outings but may need to reactivate MVP candidate Nikola Jokic to avoid dropping to the second seed to close the season.
The Grizzlies will face the Bucks on Friday night, though Milwaukee will rest most of its starters in the contest.
Memphis will close the season in Oklahoma City after playing the Bucks, while the Nuggets will host the Sacramento Kings to conclude their regular season on Sunday.
Utah Jazz vs. Denver Nuggets Broadcast
The Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets will tip off at 1:30 pm MT on Saturday. The game will be televised on AT&T SportsNet and can be heard on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. It can also be streamed on DirecTV Stream and FuboTV.
Ben Anderson is the Utah Jazz insider for KSL Sports and the co-host of Jake and Ben from 10-12p with Jake Scott on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. Find Ben on Twitter at @BensHoops or on Instagram @BensHoops.
