Depending on how teams finish the regular season, Saturday’s 8:30 p.m. ET game between the Utah Jazz and Golden State Warriors could be a playoff preview. Golden State (48-29) has a half-game lead on Dallas for the three seed. Should the Warriors slip, they could meet the Jazz (46-31) in the first round.
Of course, Utah has a half-game lead on Denver for the five seed, so it could easily slip to sixth and create a three-six seeded first round in the Western Conference.
The Warriors enter on a four-game losing streak with losses to the top-seeded Suns and second-seeded Grizzlies. James Wiseman is out for the season, and Stephen Curry is out with a sprained ligament in his left foot and may miss a few more weeks.
The line opened at Utah -2 with an over/under of 218. It has since moved to Utah -2.5, with the over/under unchanged as of this writing.
Golden State Warriors Betting Preview: Continue to defend
Many think of offense when it comes to the Steve Kerr-coached Warriors, but this year they’ve elevated their defense to make up for an average offense. Part of that has to do with injuries, with Klay Thompson missing a chunk of the season, Wiseman out, and now Curry.
They are fifth in points allowed, holding teams to 105.7 points per game. They are second in defensive efficiency, forcing teams to convert 44.0% of shots and 34.2% of 3-point attempts, which is second.
Still, the Warriors are a top shooting team, converting 35.9% of 3-point attempts, which is ninth in the league. In 29 games this season, Thompson is averaging 18.7 points per game.
The emergence of Jordan Poole (18.2 points per game) and Andrew Wiggins (17.1 ppg on 38.6% 3-point shooting) has helped the Warriors to the top half of the West.
Utah Jazz Betting Preview: Securing rebounds
The Jazz are surprisingly a better team offensively this year than Golden State, ranking seventh at 113.4 points per game. They are fifth in efficiency at 47.2% from the field and 36.3% on 3-point attempts (seventh). They still have a top-10 defensive unit, too.
But the biggest margin to watch is rebounding. Utah is fifth, securing 45.9 rebounds per game and holding teams to 41.6 per contest, the best rate in the NBA.
Rudy Gobert is a walking double-double, averaging 15.4 points and 14.6 rebounds per game, along with 2.1 blocks per game. He’s one of six Jazz players averaging double figures, led by Donovan Mitchell at 26.1 points per game.
Betting Prediction
Golden State is 29-10 at the Chase Center this season. For the year, they are 37-36-4 against the spread and 33-42-2 on over/unders. The Warriors are 2-6 against the spread and over/unders over their last eight.
Utah is 19-20 in road games this season with a 31-43-3 record against the spread and 35-40-2 on over/unders. However, the Jazz are 1-5 over their last six, losing all those against the spread.
Something has to give between two struggling teams who are each battling for a playoff position. The Jazz are healthier, so they’ll get the edge to win outright and cover the two-point spread.
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