Sitting just outside the playoffs in the Western Conference, the Utah Jazz seem to be getting their act together as the NBA embarks on the stretch run of the regular season. The Jazz will try to win their fifth straight game tonight vs the Los Angeles Clippers but have dropped seven of their last 10 games on the road. The Clippers, on the other hand, are trending in the opposite direction and have lost three consecutive games for only the second time this year.
Oddsmakers gave the Clippers the home-court edge by Sportsbook them as 1.5-point favorites with a total of 222.
- The Clippers are 7-2 SU and ATS in their last nine games as favorite.
- The Jazz are 3rd in the NBA in points allowed per game (105.0).
- The UNDER has hit in 4 of the Jazz’s last 5 games (avg. combined score: 205.8).
Clippers Have Been Reliable When Tabbed as the Fave
At 24-19 SU in 43 games, the Clippers are doing better than I thought they would through the first half of the season. I expected them to finish with a losing record and continue to be the little brother in the city of Los Angeles. Well, they currently sit sixth in the Western Conference and are technically only 5.5 games back of the Warriors for first place.
The main reason why they’ve been so effective is their balanced attack. The Clip Show have four players averaging 15 points or more and two of them have yet to start a game. Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell are combining to score 34.6 points per game from the bench, which has the Clippers leading the NBA in points from non-starters at 52.6 points per game. With the well-rounded output, LA ranks fifth in points scored per game.
I like the Clippers to rebound and win this game because they have done really well when oddsmakers make them the favorite. They’re 7-2 SU and ATS in their last nine games as chalk and 19-6 SU in 25 games this season as a fave.
Defense Has Been the Calling Card for the Jazz
It may have taken close to half of the season but the Jazz are starting to resemble the team that had the second-best scoring defense last year. Utah is ranked third this season in points allowed per game (105.0) and has held teams to less than 100 points in four of its last seven games, with all four of those contests ending with the Jazz on top.
The Jazz have won a season-high four straight games and what’s most surprising is that they did it without point guard Ricky Rubio. The Spaniard leads the team in assists and outside of Donovan Mitchell is their most valuable playmaker. Rubio is not expected back for a while so it should be interesting to see how they match up with Clippers guards Patrick Beverley and Avery Bradley, who are known to hound opposing backcourts.
Although the Jazz have won the last three games in this matchup, I don’t feel particularly comfortable taking them to win this one. They’re 3-7 SU in their last 10 road games and I think they’ll need to outscore the Clippers to win, which I think is unlikely.
Is Another UNDER in Store for the Jazz Games?
The total opened at 222 and when the Jazz take the floor, the UNDER has seemed to follow lately. The UNDER has hit in four of Utah’s last five games with an average combined score of 205.8 points per game. The UNDER has also hit in six of the Clippers’ last seven games.
My Pick Is…
Sticking with the home team and banking on the Clippers to rise back up. I think the Jazz are a good team but much like most teams in the NBA this season, winning on the road is a tough endeavor. I also can poke holes in Utah’s recent win streak as six of its last seven wins have come against teams with losing records.
