Jazz See Sudden Shift in NBA Lottery Odds After Loss vs. Rockets

The Utah Jazz have all eyes on the draft lottery as we close out the regular season.

Mar 29, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (5) and Utah Jazz / Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports

The Utah Jazz came up short again on Friday night as they suffered another loss to the Houston Rockets, albeit in close fashion, 100-101. It effectively drops the Jazz down to their eighth-straight loss in the record books while the Rockets extend their league-best winning streak of eleven in a row.

In a game where the Jazz started each of their three rookies, they started hot in the first quarter, leading 23-13 after 12 minutes, but couldn't quite hold on for the rest of the way. The two veterans John Collins and Collin Sexton led the way on the offensive end as they combined for 59 points, but it wasn't enough to overcome the red-hot Jalen Green, who lit up for 34 himself.

However, while marked as a loss in the end, this does bode well for the draft odds of the Jazz entering this summer. Since February's trade deadline, Utah has been inching up the ladder for odds at a better draft pick, and that only continued after this one.

Now, according to Tankathon, the Jazz have jumped the Brooklyn Nets for the odds at the eighth selection in the lottery after going 1-9 in their last ten. As it stands, it pins Utah with a 23.5% chance to jump into the top four spots, and a 5.3% chance at the first-overall pick.

Of course, with two weeks left in the regular season, these numbers and placements are very subject to change. Still, it provides a breath of fresh air for the Jazz entering this offseason. Their selection is top-ten protected with the Oklahoma City Thunder, so if this front office wants any chance of adding another top-end rookie, they have to hope their pick lands within one of the first ten spots.

As a result of their recent dropoff in the league standings, it's now looking like an increasingly likely outcome for the Jazz to hold onto their first-rounder. It might not reach any higher than it lies now (considering how far the Memphis Grizzlies lie ahead at seven), but it provides another exciting opportunity for a high-potential young player to enter the fold in Salt Lake City.

Jazz fans will have to keep a keen eye on the lottery odds as we head into the final April stretch of this regular season.

---

Follow Inside The Jazz on Facebook and X.

Subscribe to YouTube for breaking Jazz news videos and live streams!