If the Utah Jazz beat the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday, the Los Angeles Lakers must defeat the Houston Rockets at Staples Center to advance to the playoffs.
It all comes down to this.
The Jazz have a shot to beat the Grizzlies. They won their last meeting on March 16, 90-84, and they have bigs in Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap to compete with Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph in the frontcourt. Gasol and Randolph combined for 30 points and 15 rebounds in the March meeting. Jefferson and Millsap combined for 27 points and 13 boards.
The Jazz have also won nine of their last 11 games, including a victory over the Golden State Warriors. Jefferson and veteran point guard Mo Williams have carried the team during that stretch.
Memphis also lost a big home game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.
I ultimately don't see the Jazz beating the Grizzlies in Memphis, though. For one, the Jazz are 13-27 on the road, while the Grizzlies are 31-9 at home. Also, the Jazz aren't the Clippers, and the Grizzlies have beaten the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets (twice) down the stretch.
But for t ...
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Article written by Ryan Rudnansky
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