The Clippers are the new Showtime team in Los Angeles, as they lead the NBA in scoring. On the opposite end are the Utah Jazz, who welcome the Clippers Wednesday night with the league’s stingiest defense. The Jazz are slight home favorites, but the low total should generate some action.
- Los Angeles Clippers vs Utah Jazz (Matchup Report)
- Date/Time: October 30, 7:30 p.m. ET
- TV Coverage: Fox Sports Pacific, AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountains
- Sportsbook Odds: Utah -1.5 | O/U 215 (Line History)
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
Both teams are off to strong starts, but in what is basically a pick’em game, Utah gets the slight edge at home as a 1.5-point favorite. The Clippers may have the league’s top offense, but they are a ferocious defensive team, while Utah is an extremely low-scoring team, so the total opened at a low 215 points.
Los Angeles News & Notes
The Clippers were the big Sportsbooks of the offseason, bringing in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, and they have lived up to the hype early in the season.
Preseason favorites to win the NBA championship, the Clippers are off to a strong 3-1 start. Leonard is making his case as the league’s best player, averaging 27 points, 7.5 assists, 6.5 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.3 steals per game. Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell are both over 20 points per game, while four other players are over eight points per game.
Los Angeles is averaging an NBA-best 125 points per game. They can lock down on defense when needed, with elite defenders in Leonard, Harrell, Pat Beverley and Moe Harkless. And oh yes, the aforementioned Paul George still hasn’t played yet this season.
The Clippers are deep, talented … and only getting better.
Utah News & Notes
The Jazz are off to a 3-1 start, in large part due to a great early-season contribution from an offseason acquisition – but it’s not who you’d expect.
Utah made headlines this offseason by getting veteran point guard Mike Conley, but he has struggled mightily so far; he’s averaging just 7.8 points and 4.5 assists while shooting a putrid 20 percent from the field. Instead, it’s been the play of less-hyped guard Bojan Bogdanovic that’s been propelling Utah. His 23.7 points per game has been the perfect complement to Donovan Mitchell.
The Jazz need all the scoring help they can get right now, as they have just four players averaging double figures and are one of four teams averaging less than 100 points per game. Their defense, however, is holding opponents to a league-low 90.3 points per game.
They’ll be tested by the high-octane Clippers, but if they can get more secondary scoring to go with their lockdown defense, they not only can win against LA, but could be one of the NBA’s elite clubs.
Betting Pick: UNDER 215
Despite their prolific scoring early in the year, the Clippers can play a defensive, grinding game too. On the road against the NBA’s top defense, they’ll be forced to do just that.
- The Clippers are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games vs Utah.
- Utah is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games.
- The total has gone UNDER in Utah’s last 7 games vs the Western Conference.
