The Utah Jazz can atest to this occasionally forgotten fact of life in the NBA, now that a cozy six-week portion of the season has ended and the scary-looking stretch drive is at hand.

Since Jan. 17, the Jazz have gone 15-6, with an assist from the schedule.

During its return to health and prominence in the Western Conference playoff race, Utah has played 14 of 21 games at home. It has faced only 11 teams with a winning record.

"In all fairness," coach Jerry Sloan said, "we have caught a lot of teams at the right time. They've come in here playing back-to-back or they've had guys out. But, hopefully, our players have gotten a little confidence from these games."

It looks like it.

Currently riding a 10-game winning streak, the Jazz have taken advantage of the schedule-related breaks to nearly wipe out the six-game lead that Northwest Division-leading Denver had built in January.

"We're a young team," Sloan said. "But hopefully our players -- when they step out on the floor every night -- hopefully they feel like they're going to win the ball game. ...

"I've been around this game for awhile now and I know, when you get that confident feeling, it's a tremendous advantage. At that point, that's when you really grow as a team."

Next question.

Can the Jazz continue their winning ways on the road, where they play 13 of their final 20 games, including a five-game swing through the Eastern Conference that starts Sunday?

Utah is only 11-17 on the road, where it has beaten exactly one team with a winning record -- Detroit. And the Jazz needed double overtime to score that 120-114 victory on Dec. 19.

Asked how important it is for the Jazz to start asserting themselves during the upcoming trip to Toronto, Indiana, Atlanta, Orlando and Miami, Carlos Boozer said, "This is a huge test for our team. ...

"I think we've proven we're one of the elite teams at home. But we want to be an elite team -- period. For us to be that, we have to win on the road. So, like I said, this is a huge test for us before the postseason gets here. It's going to be a mark of how we're going to play in the postseason."

Unfortunately for the Jazz, every opponent on this trip except lottery-bound Toronto also has playoff ambitions.

Translation: Four of the five teams Utah will play should be equally motivated because their postseason fate still hasn't been determined.

The Pacers? They are battling five other teams for the eighth and final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference.

Atlanta and Miami? They are neck-and-neck for the fourth seed in the East and home court advantage in the first round.

Orlando? The Magic seem locked in as the East's No. 3 seed, but they are close enough to Boston and Cleveland that they could still move up if either falters.

"We're going to take this as a business trip," said Boozer. "We've got to go out and take care of business."

Said Sloan: "... This should be a fun time for our players because they have worked hard to get to this point. We just expect more. I don't think that's unfair."

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Every Jazz opponent on Utah's upcoming features an All-Star who ranks among the top 16 scorers in the NBA.

Date*Opponent*All-Star*Average

Sunday*at Toronto*Chris Bosh*22.6

Tuesday*at Indiana*Danny Granger*25.0

Wednesday*at Atlanta*Joe Johnson*21.2

Saturday*at Miami*Dwyane Wade*29.4

March 15*at Orlando*Dwight Howard*20.9