With the latest news, stats, and injury reports, Las Vegas’ NBA odds favor the Utah Jazz to take care of business against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Wolves will be without Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell as Utah looks to make it three straight wins against them this season. The Jazz are superior, but are they worth a bet online?
Jazz Tune Out Timberwolves
Healthy Jazz
Utah has remained an elite team in the NBA thanks to having the healthiest roster in the league. After a slow start with an 8-5 record in its first 13 games, the Jazz has won five straight and 17 of their last 21 games. They’ve lost by no more than six points (two by a single point) and all but four of their wins were by double digits.
Jazz starters Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, Royce O’Neale, Bojan Bogdanović, and Mike Conley have accounted for 158 of 165 Utah starts this season and they have been on the court together more than any other lineup in the league. pic.twitter.com/LvU97swszu
— Todd Whitehead (@CrumpledJumper) December 30, 2021
And yet, Utah’s lofty spreads have made them a subpar team on the sports betting lines. The Jazz are just 17-17 against the spread (ATS) and just 8-11 at home. Utah has never been an underdog due to having one of the easiest schedules in the NBA.
But Utah is handling it straight-up. It is 17-4 against teams below .500, the fourth-best record in the NBA. The Jazz once again own the best offense in the NBA and it would take at least a top-10 offense or defense to give them a run for their money.
Timberwolves Sharpening Fangs
This is not the same Timberwolves as seasons past. Though only a year older, the Wolves have slowly evolved into becoming one of the better defenses in the NBA. Check it: Minnesota is 11th in defensive rating and forces the most turnovers.
For all the criticism of Towns being “soft,” the budding superstar is having one of his best defensive seasons as he leads the team in defensive win shares. His defensive rating is at its best since Jimmy Butler and Tom Thibodeau were running the team.
Joining “KAT” on the defensive renaissance are Jarred Vanderbilt, Anthony Edwards and Patrick Beverley. However, Minnesota will need to improve on its 23rd-ranked offense. Edwards can be too streaky and the team lacks secondary scoring, especially with Towns and Russell out.
Timberwolves vs Jazz Head to Head
| Minnesota | Stat | Utah |
| 4-6 | 8-2 | 6-4 |
| 5-5-0 | Point Spread | 5-5-0 |
| 4-6-0 | Over/Under | 4-6-0 |
| 107.60 | Average Score | 115.20 |
| 55.70 | Half Time | 56.50 |
Timberwolves vs Jazz Game Information
Date: Friday
Time: 9 p.m. ET
Location: Vivint Arena
Minnesota Timberwolves vs Utah Jazz Live Stream: NBA Game Pass
Timberwolves vs Jazz Betting Lines
| Minnesota | Utah | |
| +500 | Moneyline | -700 |
| 16% | Implied Probability | 84% |
|
+11½ (-110) |
Point Spread |
-11½ (-110) |
|
221½ (-110o) |
Total |
221½ (-110u) |
Timberwolves vs Jazz Prediction
As much as we’d like to side with the underdogs here, this will be all Utah. Minnesota can be tough to play against, especially with Vanderbilt and Co. returning. But they tend to abandon their “defense first” philosophy on the road. Their defensive rating plummets to 112.5 (26th) away versus 104.4 at home. This is bad news against the sharp-shooting Jazz.
Utah hits the second-most threes at home and allows the fewest. There will be a significant difference in firepower here, so despite Minnesota’s 7-5 ATS record as a road dog, we’re leaning on the Jazz and the points.
Pick: Utah Jazz -11½
Lower-scoring games has been a trend in the NBA this season and it’s one that should continue here. Despite 12 of Utah’s 19 home games going over and 10 of Minnesota’s 14 road games, Utah should be able to neutralize the shorthanded Wolves to cash the under here.
Pick: Under 221½ (-110)
Parlay: Jazz -11½ and Under 221½ (+264)
With the latest news, stats, and injury reports, Las Vegas’ NBA odds favor the Utah Jazz to take care of business against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Wolves will be without Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell as Utah looks to make it three straight wins against them this season. The Jazz are superior, but are they worth a bet online?
Jazz Tune Out Timberwolves
Healthy Jazz
Utah has remained an elite team in the NBA thanks to having the healthiest roster in the league. After a slow start with an 8-5 record in its first 13 games, the Jazz has won five straight and 17 of their last 21 games. They’ve lost by no more than six points (two by a single point) and all but four of their wins were by double digits.
Jazz starters Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, Royce O’Neale, Bojan Bogdanović, and Mike Conley have accounted for 158 of 165 Utah starts this season and they have been on the court together more than any other lineup in the league. pic.twitter.com/LvU97swszu
— Todd Whitehead (@CrumpledJumper) December 30, 2021
And yet, Utah’s lofty spreads have made them a subpar team on the sports betting lines. The Jazz are just 17-17 against the spread (ATS) and just 8-11 at home. Utah has never been an underdog due to having one of the easiest schedules in the NBA.
But Utah is handling it straight-up. It is 17-4 against teams below .500, the fourth-best record in the NBA. The Jazz once again own the best offense in the NBA and it would take at least a top-10 offense or defense to give them a run for their money.
Timberwolves Sharpening Fangs
This is not the same Timberwolves as seasons past. Though only a year older, the Wolves have slowly evolved into becoming one of the better defenses in the NBA. Check it: Minnesota is 11th in defensive rating and forces the most turnovers.
For all the criticism of Towns being “soft,” the budding superstar is having one of his best defensive seasons as he leads the team in defensive win shares. His defensive rating is at its best since Jimmy Butler and Tom Thibodeau were running the team.
Joining “KAT” on the defensive renaissance are Jarred Vanderbilt, Anthony Edwards and Patrick Beverley. However, Minnesota will need to improve on its 23rd-ranked offense. Edwards can be too streaky and the team lacks secondary scoring, especially with Towns and Russell out.
Timberwolves vs Jazz Head to Head
| Minnesota | Stat | Utah |
| 4-6 | 8-2 | 6-4 |
| 5-5-0 | Point Spread | 5-5-0 |
| 4-6-0 | Over/Under | 4-6-0 |
| 107.60 | Average Score | 115.20 |
| 55.70 | Half Time | 56.50 |
Timberwolves vs Jazz Game Information
Date: Friday
Time: 9 p.m. ET
Location: Vivint Arena
Minnesota Timberwolves vs Utah Jazz Live Stream: NBA Game Pass
Timberwolves vs Jazz Betting Lines
| Minnesota | Utah | |
| +500 | Moneyline | -700 |
| 16% | Implied Probability | 84% |
|
+11½ (-110) |
Point Spread |
-11½ (-110) |
|
221½ (-110o) |
Total |
221½ (-110u) |
Timberwolves vs Jazz Prediction
As much as we’d like to side with the underdogs here, this will be all Utah. Minnesota can be tough to play against, especially with Vanderbilt and Co. returning. But they tend to abandon their “defense first” philosophy on the road. Their defensive rating plummets to 112.5 (26th) away versus 104.4 at home. This is bad news against the sharp-shooting Jazz.
Utah hits the second-most threes at home and allows the fewest. There will be a significant difference in firepower here, so despite Minnesota’s 7-5 ATS record as a road dog, we’re leaning on the Jazz and the points.
Pick: Utah Jazz -11½
Lower-scoring games has been a trend in the NBA this season and it’s one that should continue here. Despite 12 of Utah’s 19 home games going over and 10 of Minnesota’s 14 road games, Utah should be able to neutralize the shorthanded Wolves to cash the under here.
