Jazz Face Lakers In Win Or Go Home In-Season Tournament Game
Nov 21, 2023, 1:12 PM | Updated: 6:30 pm
Ochai Agbaji #30 of the Utah Jazz shoots over Jarred Vanderbilt #2 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half of a game at Vivint Arena on April 04, 2023 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
(Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Jazz must beat the Los Angeles Lakers Tuesday night if they hope to keep their In-Season Tournament hopes alive
The matchup is the final tournament game in group play for both teams who currently sit atop the West Group A standings.
Both teams will also be watching the outcome of the Phoenix Suns, who are 1-1 in group play, as they host the Portland Trail Blazers Tuesday night.
Jazz, Lakers In-Season Tournament Scenarios
Both the Jazz and the Lakers could lock up an invitation to the round of eight depending on Tuesday’s outcomes across the league.
The Lakers control their own destiny having opened group play with an unblemished 3-0 record.
If the Lakers win Tuesday night, they’ll advance out of Group A and will earn the top seed in the next round of the Western Conference In-Season Tournament.
The Jazz meanwhile need a win over the Lakers to keep their hopes alive and would clinch a trip to the round of eight if paired with a Suns loss to the Trail Blazers.
The NBA In-Season Tournament continues tonight with five Group Play games, including a doubleheader on TNT.
The following clinch and elimination scenarios are applicable for tonight’s games ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/9stHl5f0f0
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) November 21, 2023
In that scenario, the Jazz would advance by way of the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Lakers.
The Lakers could still advance even with a loss by earning the Western Conference wildcard spot due to their point differential in group play.
If both the Jazz and the Suns win, the winner of West Group A won’t be determined until Friday evening when the Suns face the Memphis Grizzlies.
If the Suns were to lose that game, the Jazz would advance. If the Suns were to win, there would be a three-way tie atop West Group A between the Jazz, Suns, and Lakers, and the winner would be determined by which team had the best point differential.
Currently, the Lakers own a +42 point differential while the Jazz are +19.
Heading into Tuesday’s night’s meeting with Portland the Suns are a net-zero in point differential through two tournament games.
How To Watch Jazz And Lakers
The Jazz will face the Lakers on Tuesday at 8 pm MST in Los Angeles. The game will be televised on TNT, and can be heard on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone.
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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.
