Life without Anthony Davis hasn’t gone well for the Lakers, who are 1-4 SU and ATS since losing their star big man to injury. LA (22-10 SU, 14-18 ATS) will try to snap its first three-game losing skid of the season when it visits the Jazz (25-6, 23-7-1), who have won 21 of their last 23.
- Date/Time: February 24, 10 p.m. ET
- Arena: Vivint Arena
- TV Coverage: ESPN
- Sportsbook Odds: Jazz -6.5 | O/U 220.5 (Line History)
- Lakers vs JazzMatchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
LA has been a 6-point underdog just once in the last three seasons, but bettors don’t seem to think that’s enough to spot the undermanned Lakers in this contest. Early money came heavily on the Jazz, steaming the line to Utah -8.5 by Tuesday night.
Los Angeles News & Notes
The Lakers are 1-4 SU and ATS since losing Davis to injury midway through a Valentine’s Day loss in Denver, with the only victory and cover during that span coming against a Timberwolves squad that just fired its coach. LA’s latest defeat came in shocking fashion Monday as the Lakers blew a 17-point lead and allowed 78 points after halftime in a 127-124 OT loss to Washington.
LeBron James had 31 points, nine rebounds and 13 assists in 43 minutes for the Lakers, but he also turned the ball over a season-high eight times and missed eight of 10 shots from behind the arc. Fatigue might be setting in for The King and his teammates, who have now gone to overtime four times in their last nine games.
LA’s recent struggles have also coincided with the absence of guard Dennis Schroder, who will miss at least one more contest due to health and safety protocols. Alex Caruso has seen an increased role with Schroder out of the lineup, scoring 11 points Monday in 31 minutes off the bench. Meanwhile, Montrezl Harrell has done what he can to fill in for Davis, averaging nearly 18 points per outing in his last four.
Utah News & Notes
Two days after having a nine-game winning streak snapped by a loss to the Clippers, Utah used some torrid three-point shooting Monday to get back on track with a 132-110 blowout of the visiting Hornets. The Jazz scored nearly two-thirds of their points from behind the arc, setting a franchise record with 28 treys and shooting 51 percent from distance as a team.
Utah’s hot shooting was spread throughout the lineup, including an NBA-record 19 three-pointers from players who came off the bench. Georges Niang, who was scoreless in 10 minutes Friday against LA, was a perfect 7-for-7 from downtown and all of Joe Ingles’ 21 points came on threes. Donovan Mitchell led the Jazz with 23 points as seven different players scored at least 10 for Utah.
The Jazz actually trailed Charlotte at halftime and held just a one-point lead entering the fourth quarter before outscoring the Hornets 41-20 in the final frame to easily cover as 12.5-point favorites. Utah has now covered nine of its last 10 games and is 20-2-1 ATS in its last 23, with its last six victories all coming by double digits.
Betting Pick: UNDER 220
Without Davis and Schroder, LA’s best chance to pull off the upset is to grind things out in a slow-paced affair. That’s a style the Lakers are happy to play on the road, where they’ve gone UNDER in 13 of 16 games this season.
- Los Angeles is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games.
- Utah is 20-2-1 ATS in its last 23 games.
- Los Angeles is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games vs Utah.
