The Utah Jazz are the hottest team in the NBA – and they extended their run of success with a rout of New Orleans last time out. They’ll look to repeat the feat as the teams square off in a Thursday night rematch at Vivint Smart Home Arena, with the Jazz (10-4 SU, 9-5 ATS) a comfortable favorite against a reeling New Orleans team (5-8 SU, 5-8 ATS) that has lost six of seven.
- Date/Time: January 21, 10 p.m. ET
- Arena: Vivint Smart Home Arena
- TV Coverage: TNT
- Sportsbook Odds: Jazz -7 | O/U 216.5 (Line History)
- Pelicans vs Jazz Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
Utah kicked things off as a 7-point favorite and is now sitting at -6.5 at the majority of sportsbooks. The total ranges between 216.5 and 217.5 after Sportsbook at the low end of that range.
New Orleans News & Notes
Third quarters have been a major problem for the Pelicans during their recent cold spell. They’ve allowed an average of 31 points in the 12 minutes following the break over their past seven games, while scoring just 23.9 points themselves.
They’ve been outscored by double digits in the third quarter three times over that span, including a 36-20 margin in Tuesday’s loss in Utah.
The news isn’t all negative, though. Second-year power forward Zion Williamson followed up a 31-point performance against Sacramento with 32 points in the first meeting with the Jazz, raising his season scoring average to 23.4. That mark is a red-hot 26.4 so far in January, with Williamson shooting nearly 62 percent for the month. Roster him in DFS until his salary spikes.
Utah News & Notes
The secret to the Jazz’s recent success isn’t a secret at all: This team is playing some of the most suffocating defense in the NBA, having limited opponents to just 40.7 percent from the floor and 27.2 percent from three-point range.
Both marks are the lowest in the league in that stretch and are major contributors to Utah’s now second-ranked scoring defense (105.1 points against per game).
The Jazz are also in good hands offensively, with six players averaging in double figures through the first 14 games. Donovan Mitchell (23.5 ppg) has picked up where he left off during last year’s incredible playoff run, averaging 24.5 points so far in January. He poured in 28 points in the previous meeting with the Pelicans and can be trusted once again in DFS cash games.
Betting Pick: Jazz -6.5 (-110)
Utah’s defense is no joke – and even if the Pelicans get another strong game from Williamson, it’s going to be difficult for them to break through against one of the top teams in the NBA.
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Buy Sports Picks Now- New Orleans is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games.
- Utah is 6-0 SU and ATS in its past 6 games.
- The OVER is 4-1 in the past 5 head-to-head meetings.
