The Utah Jazz continue their torrid streak after they took care of the Miami Heat with a 112-94 win on Saturday night. According to Tim MacMahon of ESPN, Utah has now recorded 16 double-digit victories over this insane 18-1 stretch. They share that distinction with just two other teams – the 1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks and the 2008-09 Cleveland Cavaliers, per Elias Sports Bureau.
Both those teams went on to finish with the best record in the league. Those 1970-71 Bucks, led by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Lew Alcindor at the time) won the NBA championship, while the 2008-09 Cleveland Cavaliers failed to go all the way after bowing out of the Eastern Conference Finals to the Orlando Magic.
As for the Jazz, this current run is a magnificent one in itself. After going 4-4 to start the season, they have gone on to win 18 of their last 19, with their lone defeat coming at the hands of Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. In their 18 wins during this stretch, they are beating their opponents by an average of 15.3 points.
The Jazz have certainly been playing incredible basketball for over a month now. Entering the game against Miami, Utah boasted the most three-pointers made on a per game basis, making nearly 17 a night on a 40.1 percent clip, which was good for 3rd in the NBA.
However, on Saturday against the Heat, Utah did not have the stroke from the outside. They shot just 12-of-46 (26.1 percent) from long distance. Nonetheless, they still managed to blow out Miami in the second half as they opened the third quarter with a 16-0 to distance themselves from the tight contest.
What the Jazz are currently doing is certainly very impressive. Whether they follow the path of the ’71 Bucks, who went all the way to title, or the ’09 Cavs, who fell short of their goal, remains to be seen.