Sixers Coach Doc Rivers Doesn’t Think Jazz Are A Team To Beat In The West
Mar 28, 2021, 12:24 PM
Head coach Doc Rivers of the Philadelphia 76ers talks to Tony Bradley #11 about his foul during the third quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Wells Fargo Center on March 17, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Corey Perrine/Getty Images)
(Photo by Corey Perrine/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers doesn’t believe the Utah Jazz are a team to beat in the Western Conference.
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Doc Rivers met with the media on Saturday night when his Sixers team met his old team the Los Angeles Clippers, he gave his thoughts on why Utah is not a team to beat in the west.
“Listen, Utah has been great. But I still think the Clippers and Lakers are still the teams to beat in the West,” Rivers said.
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The Jazz hold the best record in the NBA at 34-11 and are 3.5 games ahead of the Phoenix Suns, who sit in second, 4 games ahead of the Clippers, who are in third and 5.5 games ahead of the Lakers, the fourth place team in the conference.
Rivers’ team has the best record in the Eastern Conference at 32-14 and are one game ahead of the Brooklyn Nets in the standings. If the conferences are combined, the Jazz still hold the best record and are 2.5 games ahead of the Sixers.
Despite all of that, Rivers still thinks the Lakers and Clippers are the two teams to beat in the West.
“I thought Denver had a great trade deadline — they did great moves,” Rivers said. “Utah is playing unbelievable basketball, so they are going to be right there. Portland, I thought improved their team as well. But I still think it’s the Lakers and the Clippers.”
The Jazz have played the Sixers twice this season and split the series, winning in Salt Lake City on February 15 before losing in the City of Brotherly Love in overtime on March 3, in what has been considered one of the most poorly officiated games of the season.
Utah has faced the Clippers three times this season, winning the series 2-1. They will not play again during the regular season. The Jazz beat the Lakers in Utah on February 24 and will face them two more times this season in back-to-back games in LA on April 17 and 19.
The Jazz will wrap up a four-game homestand on Monday, March 29 when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers at 7 p.m. MT on AT&T SportsNet.
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