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SALT LAKE CITY — It looks really bleak for the Jazz, there is no denying that. However, they are not completely out of the playoff picture, just getting slowly erased.
After the loss to the Mavericks on Sunday the Jazz are two games out of the playoffs and one game out of 11th place in the West. Cant the Jazz right the ship in the next 12 games or will it be a lottery season this year?
The last 12 games seem to be an easy lot, if for nothing else they play 8 home games. However, the Jazz have struggled against good teams and there are a lot of good teams left on the schedule.
NBCsports.com writer Kurt Helin wrote, "Can Jazz or Mavericks catch the Lakers for the eighth seed?" Where he looked at what the Jazz or Mavericks could do while chasing the Lakers.
Utah has 12 games left, eight at home where the Jazz are 24-9 on the season. Of those dozen games, only five are against playoff teams. The Jazz have the struggling 76ers and Suns to start the week in Utah — those are must wins that could start a little run for Utah.
–Kurt Helin, NBC Sports
"Utah's best hope is the schedule — theirs gets softer while the Lakers gets harder," Helin wrote.
"Utah has 12 games left, eight at home where the Jazz are 24-9 on the season. Of those dozen games, only five are against playoff teams. The Jazz have the struggling 76ers and Suns to start the week in Utah — those are must wins that could start a little run for Utah."
The chances that the Jazz make the playoffs are pretty slim. They are two games out of the playoffs, and the Lakers, while struggling last week are still trending up along with the Mavericks. ESPN has them at 26 percent odds to make it into the playoffs. They do have the tiebreaker over both teams.
The 76ers and Suns should be wins over the next two games. Then a trip to Portland is followed by three tough home games. The first is hosting the Deron Williams and the Nets, then a rematch with the Blazers at home followed by welcoming the red-hot Nuggets.
The Jazz will need to beat the 76ers, Suns and Trailblazers twice even to get back into the conversation. Marc Stein of ESPN's Power Rankings doesn't seem sure that could happen.
"Don't want to hear about how eight of the next 10 games are at home after the Jazz lost to the Knicks (minus Melo and Chandler) when last seen in the SLC. They're 3-12 since going seven games over .500 on Feb. 19"
If the Jazz aren't in the playoff hunt by the time the Blazers leave Salt Lake City the door will be shut on their playoff chances. If that is the case it might be better for the Jazz to lose to the Blazers to get down to the 11th spot in the West to improve their lottery standings.
NBA.com's Jeff Caplan wrote about the Jazz's home stand as their last hope.
"Utah is typically a force at home — 24-9 in front of one of the most engaged crowds in the league — and they'll have to be invincible starting Monday night against Philadelphia. Considering Sunday's ugly 113-108 loss to the Mavericks was their ninth consecutive road defeat, any home slip-up will serve as sledgehammer to Utah's eggshell playoff chances."
The season ends with five games against teams the Jazz struggle against. The Thunder and Timberwolves at home, along with the Warriors, T-Wolves and Grizzlies on the road. The Jazz will have to steal some games in there or they will miss out on the playoffs this year.
