There’s no one hotter right now than the Utah Jazz, who go into a rematch with the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night as the top team in the NBA. The Jazz (14-4 SU, 13-5 ATS) are the talk of the league – and the sports betting world – after extending their winning (and ATS) streak to 10 with a 116-104 win over the Mavericks (8-10 SU, 9-9 ATS) on Wednesday night.
- Date/Time: January 29, 10 p.m. ET
- Arena: Vivint Smart Home Arena
- TV Coverage: ESPN
- Sportsbook Odds: Jazz -4 | O/U 220.5 (Line History)
- Mavericks vs Jazz Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
Both the Sportsbook line and total have seen slight movement. The Jazz kicked off the cycle as a 4-point favorite but have moved to -3.5 at the majority of sportsbooks, while the total has risen a point to 221.5.
Dallas News & Notes
Give Utah full credit for somehow finding a way to limit Luka Doncic’s damage. The early MVP candidate has torn opposing defenses to ribbons so far this season, but while he still scored 30 points in Wednesday’s game, the Jazz limited him to just four rebounds and six assists. Both figures are the lowest Doncic has recorded in those categories this month.
Simply put, Doncic needs help – and more could be coming as soon as Friday. Josh Richardson looked rusty in 24 minutes last time out, scoring just six points in his first game action in nearly three weeks. Richardson is off to a slow start in his first season with the Mavericks, but averaged 16.6 points just two seasons ago with Miami and is a sneaky GPP play in daily fantasy.
Utah News & Notes
Having to play Wednesday without scoring sensation Donovan Mitchell didn’t throw the Jazz off track at all; they broke out to a 13-point lead after the Sportsbook quarter and weren’t threatened the rest of the way en route to their fifth straight double-digit victory. Utah now ranks fifth in the NBA in offensive efficiency, while also boasting the league’s No. 3 defensive efficiency.
Good teams often have a great sixth man – and Utah’s is among the best in the league so far. Jordan Clarkson has embraced the “first guy off the bench” role, averaging 17.9 points (second on the team) while leading the team in scoring four different times this season. His price remains reasonable on most DFS sites, and he offers rebounding and steals stats as well.
Betting Pick: Jazz -4
Utah is on a whole other planet right now, while the Mavericks’ success is still far too closely tied to how Doncic performs. Look for the Jazz to extend both hot streaks to 11 Friday night.
- Dallas is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games.
- Utah is 7-0 ATS in its past 7 home games.
- The total has gone OVER in 10 of Utah’s last 14 games vs Dallas.
