Clippers vs Jazz Game Analysis and Prediction

Can the Jazz remain one of the NBA’s hottest teams? We’ll find out in Saturday night’s betting odds, when they host the Los Angeles Clippers.

Los Angeles Clippers (25-36 SU, 28-33 ATS) at Utah Jazz (39-22 SU, 37-21-3 ATS)

Saturday, March 6: 9:00 p.m.

Here are some NBA Betting Trends which may impact this game:

Los Angeles: 4-8 ATS in their last 12 games
Los Angeles: 5-13 SU in their last 18 games

Utah: Total has gone OVER in their last 5 games
Utah: 3-2 ATS in their last 5 games

For Utah, they have been on a very impressive streak of late, and are one of the NBA’s hottest teams over the last month or so. Things peaked Thursday night in a win over a good Phoenix Suns team, when after trailing the whole game, they scored 41 fourth quarter points for an epic come from behind victory. They’ll try to keep their hot streak going Saturday night at home.

Utah is one of the most balanced teams in the NBA, as they get their offense from a variety of spots. No player is more important to their success though than guard Deron Williams. Simply put, Williams is one of the elite point guards in the league, a floor general who does it all for Utah. On the season, he averages 18 points and 10 assists a ballgame, his assist total currently third in the league, behind only Steve Nash and Chris Paul.

Up front, Utah relies on a variety of big men to get the job done. While Carlos Boozer leads this team in scoring and rebounding (averaging close to 20 points and 11 rebounds a game), he’s certainly not alone. Mehmet Okur provides perimeter jump shooting, and Andrei Kirilenko a defensive presence. The biggest reason for Utah’s success this season has been the health of their roster as a whole, as all five of the players mentioned have played in at least 52 of the Jazz’s 61 games total. 

As for Los Angeles, they come into this game with significantly more questions, as they are losers of three of their last four. Maybe most importantly, they’ve struggled defensively of late, as they haven’t been the same team without Marcus Camby, a center who they got rid of at the trade deadline.

One player who has been playing well of late for them is guard Baron Davis. In the same role that Williams plays for Utah, Davis plays for Los Angeles, a great floor leader, that passes the ball as well as he scores it. Davis has averaged over nine assists in the Clippers last five games.

With Davis and a strong group of scorers with them, will they be able to keep things close in Utah? I think so.

The truth is, that for all their shortcomings, the Clippers do have playmakers on the offensive end, even if they only average 95 points per game. And with Utah coming off a big home victory over Phoenix, who knows how excited they’ll be on Saturday night to play one of the NBA’s worst teams.

We’re not saying that the Clippers will win this game straight up, just that they’ll keep things close in the betting odds. Because of it, take them to cover the point spread Saturday night in Utah.

Aaron’s Pick: Los Angeles ATS