Jazz vs. Clippers Game 1 Pick
Will the Los Angeles Clippers have any trouble at home when they take on the Utah Jazz tonight at 10:30PM ET in Game 1 of their series?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, the Clippers are favored at home, as they are getting odds of -5.5 points against the Jazz. The over/under total for the game is listed at 198 points. The Clippers won and covered the spread in three of four meetings with the Jazz this season, including both meetings at home.
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The Clippers are one of the hottest teams in the league entering the postseason. They won seven straight games to end the season and get to 51-31 overall. They tied with the Jazz for the season but had the tiebreaker to earn home-court and the fourth seed. The Clippers are 40-41-1 against the spread this season and they covered in their last three games. Los Angeles is averaging 108.7 points per game on offense this season while allowing 104.4 on defense. Over their last five, the Clippers are putting up 113 points per game while allowing just 96.6 on defense. Los Angeles is led by Blake Griffin, who is averaging 21.6 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. Chris Paul is adding 18.1 points and 9.2 assists per contest.
Utah comes into the postseason pretty strong as well, going 7-2 in their last nine games to move to 51-31 overall. The Jazz were 36-42-4 against the spread this season as well. Utah averaged 100.7 points per game on offense while allowing 96.8 on defense this season. Over their last five games, the Jazz put up 103.6 points per game on offense while giving up 99.4 on defense. Gordon Hayward led the team this season with 21.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game while Rudy Gobert added 14 points and 12.8 rebounds per contest.
The Jazz are a team without star power, so many don’t expect much from them, but Utah is a good team. The Jazz have been battling injuries late in the season but seem to be ready to go for the playoffs. Still, the team hasn’t had a chance to play together much and that will be a problem against this Clippers team that is playing at a very high level. Los Angeles is looking like it did early in the season and the Clippers should be able to send a message today at home with a big win over the Jazz.
NBA DAILY PREDICTION: LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS -5.5