The Utah Jazz are a formidable force at home this season and they look to extend that record against the Washington Wizards on Monday.
Washington has been relatively awful this season and that’s being generous. Facing one of the NBA’s best teams in the NBA won’t help and it could be one-way action.
The online sports betting spread adds interest to this game, with the current line set at double figures.
Utah Establishing Home Dominance
Winning at home isn’t as easy in 2021 with small crowds, but Utah has made playing at Vivint Smart Home Arena a fortress.
Boasting a 24-2 home record, the Utah Jazz are extremely tough to beat and it helps with Donovan Mitchell dropping 42 points. That’s what he did against Sacramento to win at home last week, so Washington knows what’s ahead.
Mitchell averages 26.3 points per game, which is excellent considering Rudy Gobert and Mike Conley take plenty of shots. He has led this team to a 40-13 record and he doesn’t often slow down when the playoffs get closer.
Mitchell was fired up by trash talk towards teammate Joe Ingles.
“Somebody said something to Joe, and I’m gonna be honest, Joe gave an answer that I hadn’t heard in a while,” Mitchell told ESPN. “It just fired me up, and when Joe gets angry, I get angry. … That’s really what turned the tide.
The biggest thing was we just found a way to win,” Mitchell continued. “It was ugly, and I didn’t shoot the ball well. We made a few mistakes defensively and a bunch of mistakes offensively, as we were kind of stagnant.
“But the team that we want to be in July wins games like this.”
We don’t think the Jazz will lose too many home games this season, so Washington will need to produce an almighty effort on Monday.
Washington Washed Up?
It has been one of those seasons for the Washington Wizards. They are capable of producing upset results, but you never know what to expect.
The Wizards are a washed-up franchise with no winning culture. It will take more than Russell Westbrook to make a change and it starts right at the top.
We don’t have the answers, but bettors have grown increasingly frustrated with the Wizards. They are 19-33 and coming off a 134-106 loss to the Phoenix Suns.
Despite a seemingly poor record, Washington could be a lot worse. It scored back-to-back wins over Orlando and Golden State, so it’s more of a consistency issue than anything else.
One thing in favor of Washington is the Game 1 result against Utah. The Wizards came out ahead with a 131-122 win and it happened only last month. Washington was led by Westbrook’s triple-double and 43 points from Beal, so a similar effort could be needed on Monday.
Wizards’ Betting Results Could Surprise You
We have given the Washington Wizards a tough time, but it hasn’t been all bad news for bettors.
The Wizards are 26-26 and 14-12 on the road, so there are positive signs. They have been double-digit underdogs a lot, so that helps with the record. However, it’s not as good as Utah’s.
The Jazz are 33-20 against the spread and not surprisingly 20-6 at home. Playing at home is a massive advantage for Jazz backers, so the Washington Wizards will need to be at their best.
NBA betting lines have Utah at -11, so it’s another double-digit line for the Jazz to cover. After some tough games against Portland, Phoenix, and Dallas, the Jazz will welcome Washington with open arms.
They rarely lose to lower-level teams and even when trailing at the half, Utah finds a way to score the win. The Jazz are a professional bunch and with so many scoring options, it takes a team effort to lose.
Wizards vs Jazz Betting Trends
Washington has struggled to cover spreads in Utah. The Wizards are 1-5-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings in Utah and 2-7-1 in the last 10 meetings against the Jazz.
They are also 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games vs a team with a winning record, but there are some positive trends for Washington fans. It’s 20-7 ATS in the last 27 Monday games and 5-2 ATS when playing on one days’ rest.
Utah is 8-1 ATS in its last nine games after scoring more than 125 points in its previous game. It produced 128 points against Sacramento, so there are no problems on the scoring front.
The Jazz are also 10-3-1 ATS in their last 14 home games vs a team with a losing road record. Washington owns only nine wins away from home.
Washington Wizards vs Utah Jazz Pick
The Utah Jazz will be hellbent on getting revenge on Washington after losing 131-122 in March.
It required a huge effort from Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook, so Utah will take comfort knowing it’s unlikely to happen in consecutive meetings.
Utah is almost unbeatable at home and it should have this game in safekeeping. However, the 11-point spread should make for an interesting contest.
We favor Utah to cover the spread with a big second-half effort. It has been efficient in the second half this season and scoring on the Wizards isn’t hard.
Bettors should expect Utah’s defense to be much better the second time around.
