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SALT LAKE CITY — Well, that was fun.
There were three games on Tuesday that impacted the Jazz. And each one seemed to go against Utah — including, as it turns out, its own victory.
The Jazz beat the Denver Nuggets, the Houston Rockets lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Los Angeles Lakers on a buzzer-beater.
Those results locked the Jazz into the No. 5 seed and left them a couple of results away from what appears to be a worst-case scenario: Being on the same side of the bracket as both Houston and Golden State.
But things aren't quite set yet. Heading into Wednesday, the Jazz know this: They will be playing either the Rockets or the Blazers in the first round.
Here are the scenarios heading into the final night of the regular season.
To play the Rockets
The chances of playing the Rockets, the team with the best record in the league since the All-Star break and the squad that knocked the Jazz out of the playoffs last year, increased dramatically on Tuesday.
If Houston had beat the Thunder, it would have locked in a Portland-Utah matchup in the first round. But with the loss, the Rockets still have a chance to fall to No. 4 and meet the Jazz.
That’ll happen if both the Blazers beat Sacramento Kings and the Nuggets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Jazz went 2-2 against the Rockets this year, but only one has come since the calendar turned to 2019 — a 125-98 Houston win in Salt Lake City.
To play the Blazers
For fans hoping to avoid the Rockets in the first round, get ready to be big Sacramento and Minnesota fans on Wednesday.
The Jazz will still play the Blazers in the first round if one of two things happen on the final day of the regular season: The Blazers lose to the Kings or the Nuggets lose to the Timberwolves.
If one of those results occur, the Jazz will be playing the Blazers in the opening round. That appears to be the better matchup, but it’s not that obvious either. The Jazz are 2-2 against Portland this season, with the Blazers winning the two most recent matchups.
Who do the Jazz want?
Well if you look at Jazz fans’ reactions on Twitter, it’s clear who they want: Portland.
As for the Jazz players, they say it really doesn’t matter. And their play on Tuesday against the Nuggets proved that may have been more than just talk.
The Jazz would have had a bit more control over their first-round opponent if they had simply lost to the Nuggets. They knew that going in, and yet, it didn’t alter how they approached the game. They came out looking to win and they did just that.
"We’ll see how the season ends,” Rudy Gobert said. “No matter who we play, we’re going to be ready.”
Added Donovan Mitchell: "The only difference is it’s hotter in Houston than it is in Portland.”
