The Utah Jazz face off against the Golden State Warriors in the last game of the regular season. Despite the game’s result having major implications for both franchises, key contributors may not participate on both sides.
Jordan Clarkson, John Collins, Kris Dunn, and Lauri Markkanen are out, while starting shooting guard Collin Sexton is questionable. As for the Warriors, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Jonathan Kuminga, Chris Paul, and Klay Thompson are questionable, and Gary Payton II is out.
This one is trending to be a battle of the backups, with a lot on the line for both clubs. Utah will secure the eighth-best lottery odds with a loss or a Brooklyn Nets win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Utah will also know the outcome of the Nets game before its game starts. If the Jazz and Nets end up in a tie at the end of the day, their lottery fate will be decided by a coin flip.
The Warriors can help their seeding regarding the play-in tournament, but according to head coach Steve Kerr, they may play it safely and rest their key players.
“Oh hell yeah,” Kerr said when asked if resting players in the season finale was possible. “You prefer to stay at home. But if you look at what we’re facing, it’s a gauntlet. You’ve got to play two play-in games, and if you can win those two, you’ve got to play a playoff game 48 hours after that. I’m much interested in our ability to be ready for next week.”
The Warriors would need help from multiple places to jump to the eighth seed, which would mean they would have two chances to win one game in order to make the playoffs.
The best-case scenario for the Warriors is a win against Utah and a Sacramento Kings loss versus the Portland Trail Blazers paired with a Los Angeles Lakers loss versus the New Orleans Pelicans. This would give Golden State the eighth seed due to having the tie-breaker edge over the Lakers.
However, if the Kings and Warriors win and the Lakers lose, then we’re looking at a three-way tie, and the eighth seed goes to the Kings based on the head-to-head won-lost percentage in games played between the three teams. As for the Lakers, it’s pretty straightforward. If the Lakers win, they secure the eighth spot. If the Lakers and Kings end up in a two-way tie, the the eight sport goes to the Kings.
Whether Kerr decides to rest his players could hinge on how the games that affect them are trending. All three games that have play-in tournament implications start at the same time. The tip-of for the Jazz-Warriors game is at 1:30 MST.