Keys for Jazz in busy upcoming week


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SALT LAKE CITY — For the first time in over a month, the Utah Jazz didn’t finish a week’s worth of games with a winning record.

Instead, after beating the Charlotte Hornets and the Los Angeles Lakers, and falling to the Washington Wizards and the Golden State Warriors, the Jazz finished .500, which not so long ago would have been a sign of progress.

The Jazz have dramatically raised the level of expectations as they continue to their run after the All-Star break, and talk has circulated about Utah’s small odds of going to the playoffs.

As the games go by, and the Jazz fall, the odds of that happening continue to fall. However, for Jazz coach Quin Snyder, wins aren’t the measuring stick. It’s how his team reacts to situations that most concerns him, and how they react to adversity.

The Jazz have played eight games in the last two weeks, and they play four more this week — three at home. Utah could have injuries affect the roster (more on this in a moment), but the Jazz have gone 12-4 since the All-Star break.

With plenty of learning opportunities at stake for the Jazz, here are a few short goals for the team in this week’s play.

Beat the beatable teams -------------------------

The Jazz are at the point where there are teams they are expected to beat, and there are a couple of those games on the schedule this week: Monday against Minnesota and Friday at Denver. This week, the Jazz will also host Portland and Oklahoma City.

Wins against the Timberwolves and the Nuggets will be expected, and the Jazz should be judged this week on how they perform against those teams. Last week, Utah beat Charlotte and the Lakers — expected wins — and narrowly fell to Washington at home and lost at Golden State on the road. With where the team is right now, and where they are improving and growing, a week like that is right on pace.

Play well without stars

When mentioning playing without stars, the focus needs to be on playing well without Gordon Hayward. Hayward is listed as questionable against Minnesota Monday, which could spell trouble for the Jazz. The last time Utah played without Hayward, the Jazz picked up a narrow 87-82 win over the New York Knicks — a win that left Snyder and his team frustrated.

When Hayward is out, it hurts the short-term prospects for wins. However, it helps the long-term prospects, as it helps other parts of the roster develop. In the Knicks game, Derrick Favors scored 29 points and put the team on his back. For this Jazz team, every game provides a valuable lesson for the future, and the team learned how to depend on Favors in the game.

Focus on rebounding

In the Jazz’s losses last week, they were outrebounded. Utah’s dominance on the boards in a blowout 109-91 win over the Houston Rockets demonstrated how important controlling the glass is for the team, especially the offensive glass. Second-chance points have been a powerful weapon for the team.

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Jon Oglesby

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