After their loss to the Indiana Pacers on Monday night, Utah Jazz sit in the 10th spot in the Western Conference with a 17-26 record.
They have been bruised and battered this season. They have battled through injuries and trade rumors. They’ve had one of the most difficult schedules in the league.
But they aren’t surrendering hope. They still think they can make a run at the playoffs.
“We definitely think we can make a run, and that’s something that we’re trying to focus on,” Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell said. “I think we have to try and get back to the .500 mark, but we definitely want to make a push and see where it goes.”
The Jazz are in the midst of a schedule that could prove favorable. Following Monday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers, Utah travels to the Sacramento Kings. Then, the Jazz face the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Clippers at home, followed by a three-game road trip that starts in Atlanta.
Even with a lot of road games to start January, the schedule eases up for the Jazz following the All-Star break and into March and early April. More importantly, Utah’s starting to get a bit healthier, despite losing Thabo Sefolosha to a potentially season-ending knee injury.
Center Rudy Gobert is close to a return, and could be back by the end of the week. Backup point guard Raul Neto returned on Monday night against the Pacers. Point guard Dante Exum — who has yet to play this season — is back on the court working out and has hopes of playing before the season ends.
The Jazz have fallen into a hole. They are four and a half games behind the Denver Nuggets in the race for the eighth and final playoff spot. But, they still feel they can turn their season around.
“We’re fine,” Utah forward Jonas Jerebko said. “We’ve had a rough couple of months, but we’re playing better basketball. We’re not worried about it. We’ll take it game-by-game and see if we can string a win streak together.”
Big Al is back
Former Jazz center Al Jefferson was back in town with the Pacers on Monday, scoring six points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Jefferson was once a centerpiece for the Jazz. Now he’s a wily veteran who comes off the bench in Indiana.
Neto returns
Jazz point guard Raul Neto played in his first game in a month. He suffered a concussion and a bone bruise against the Milwaukee Bucks and had to wait for the bone bruise to recover before he could pass concussion protocol. He played 12 minutes in the game and tallied five points and three assists.
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