UTAH JAZZ
Jazz Have Third-Toughest Remaining Schedule In NBA
SALT LAKE CITY – With 19 games left in the regular season, the Utah Jazz have the third toughest remaining schedule of any team in the NBA.
According to the website Tankathon which measures strength of schedule based on the average win percentage of a team’s remaining opponents, no team has a tougher road in the West than the Jazz.
The average win percentage of the Jazz’s final 19 opponents is .522, which is easier than only the Philadelphia 76ers (.531) and Toronto Raptors (.533).
The difficult ranking comes on the heels of the Jazz’s worst loss of the season, falling to San Antonio at home, snapping what was a 16-game losing streak for the Spurs.
15 straight for the Bucks. A close race in the West.
Tuesday night standings are here 🗣️
For more, download the NBA App.
📲 https://t.co/6FlAlihMep pic.twitter.com/XJHt1FivpA— NBA (@NBA) March 1, 2023
It also comes as the Jazz prepare to head out on a difficult six-game road trip that includes two meetings with the Oklahoma City Thunder, and a matchup with the Dallas Mavericks, both of whom are in tight races with the Jazz for the final playoff spots in the West.
Of the Jazz’s final 19 games, four come against the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, and Denver Nuggets who own the three best records in the NBA.
The Jazz will also face the Sacramento Kings, who own the seventh-best record in the NBA, twice before the end of the season.
Other notably difficult opponents include the Phoenix Suns who are expected to welcome Kevin Durant to the lineup on Wednesday, a game in Miami on the final stop of their six-game road trip, and two meetings with the Los Angeles Lakers who will be fighting for their playoff lives.
In total, 10 of the Jazz’s final 19 opponents own records above .500, and six of the nine teams below .500 are still actively competing for a spot in the playoffs or play-in tournament.
The @utahjazz now head out on the road with two stops in OKC, one in Dallas, one in Orlando, one in Charlotte, and one in Miami.
This trip will have huge implications on the final standings in the West.
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) March 1, 2023
The Jazz’s easiest games remaining include another matchup with the Spurs in San Antonio and meetings with the Orlando Magic and Charlotte Hornets amid their upcoming road trip.
According to FiveThirtyEight which offers statistically-based projections on the final standings, the Jazz will close the season with an 8-11 record, finishing 39-43 overall, and in 11th place in the West.
The current projection would leave the Jazz with the 10th-worst record in the NBA at season’s end, and a roughly 11.6 percent chance of winning a top-four pick in the draft.
The Jazz would have an 88.4 percent chance of drafting 10-12.
What Is Strength Of Schedule For NBA Foes?
While the Jazz have the third-toughest remaining schedule in the NBA, how do their Western Conference counterparts stack up?
The Jazz currently sit in the ninth-seed in the West, 1.5 games back of the fifth-seeded Golden State Warriors, and 2.0 games ahead of the 13th-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder.
Here are the remaining strengths of schedule for teams ranked 5-13 in the West to close the season based on opponent winning percentage (OWP).
5. Golden State Warriors – Eighth-Toughest Schedule (.512 OWP)
6. Los Angeles Clippers – Sixth-Toughest Schedule (.513 OWP)
7. Dallas Mavericks – 23rd-Toughest Schedule (.487 OWP)
8. Minnesota Timberwolves – Fifth-Toughest Schedule (.519 OWP)
9. Utah Jazz – Third-Toughest Schedule (.522 OWP)
10. New Orleans Pelicans – 26th-Toughest Schedule (.474 OWP)
11. Portland Trail Blazers – Ninth-Toughest Schedule (.511 OWP)
12. Los Angeles Lakers – 28th-Toughest Schedule (.471 OWP)
13. Oklahoma City Thunder – 27th-Toughest Schedule (.473 OWP)
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.
