Jazz Having Trouble Winning Away From Home

Utah (42-15 SU, 33-23-1 ATS) still owns the best record in the NBA, but its recent road struggles could be a cause for concern. The Jazz look to break a three-game losing streak away from home when they visit the Lakers (35-22, 28-29) for the second time in three days.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

The Lakers closed as 1.5-point favorites when they beat Utah 127-115 in overtime Saturday at Staples Center, but the Jazz were resting several healthy starters. Expecting Utah to play those players tonight, oddsmakers opened the Jazz as 5-point road favorites in the rematch, and that line had moved to Jazz -6.5 by Monday morning.

Utah News & Notes

Already without Donovan Mitchell for a few games due to a sprained ankle, Utah also rested Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley and Derrick Favors on Saturday on the second day of a back-to-back. Ersan Ilyasova took advantage of a rare start at center to score 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including 6-for-8 from behind the arc, before fouling out in overtime.

Jordan Clarkson, the season-long favorite to win the Sixth Man of the Year award, led Utah with 27 points in 46 minutes, and Joe Ingles added 14 assists and six three-pointers.

Gobert, Conley and Favors are all expected to return to the lineup tonight as Utah not only seeks revenge for Saturday’s defeat but also tries to get back on track on the road. The Jazz have lost their last three games as the visitors and are just 2-11 ATS in their last 13 road contests. Utah has also struggled at Staples Center recently, going 2-3 SU and 1-4 ATS in its last five visits.

Los Angeles News & Notes

If there’s a silver lining to the injuries to LeBron James and Anthony Davis, it’s the emergence of several other Lakers starters in their absence. Dennis Schroder, Andre Drummond and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope combined to score 77 points in Saturday’s win over the Jazz as LA continues to show improvement without its top two stars, moving to 5-2 ATS in its last seven games.

The Lakers also showed some resilience that we might not have seen from the purple and gold a couple of weeks ago, recovering from a 15-0 Jazz run in the fourth quarter to tie the game on Schroder’s layup in the final seconds. LA then outscored the Jazz 17-5 in the overtime session.

“Without our two best players, we’ve held it down for the most part,” Markieff Morris told the Los Angeles Times following the contest.

One of the keys has been much better play on offense, where the Lakers struggled badly in their first few games without LeBron and AD. Los Angeles has scored at least 110 points in four of its last seven games, going 6-1 to the OVER during that span.

Betting Pick: Lakers +6.5

Utah has won just two of its last 11 road games by five points or more, and LA is gaining confidence playing without James and Davis as it fights for playoff positioning in the West.