Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Utah Jazz 4/23/18, Prediction & Odds

Thunder vs. Jazz Prediction

The Utah Jazz rode a Ricky Rubio triple-double to a Game 3 victory and a 2-1 series lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Will Utah extend its advantage to 3-1 with another home win tonight?

Game Snapshot

511 Oklahoma City Thunder at 512 Utah Jazz

Monday, April 23, 2018

Vivint Smart Home Arena at 10:30PM ET

TV: TNT

Compare odds from multiple different online sportsbooks and shop for the best lines at our new Basketball Odds & Betting Page.

 

Public Betting Information

According to oddsmakers at YouWager, the Jazz are listed as a 5.5-point favorite on the spread line. The over-under sits at 209 points. As of Monday afternoon, 67 percent of public bets are coming in on visiting Oklahoma City. Check out our NBA Public Betting Page for more information.

Rubio in top form 

Utah point guard Ricky Rubio was the catalyst as the hosts won Game 3 by a count of 115-102. Rubio totaled a triple-double by finishing with 26 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. He added two steals and a block. Rubio shot 9-of-18 from the floor and 6-of-7 from the charity stripe. On the season, Rubio averaged 13.1 points along with 5.3 assists and 4.6 rebounds over 77 games played. He is now tallying 20.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 8.0 assists through three postseason contests. 

Westbrook struggles in defeat

For most NBA players, it's difficult to struggle with a near triple-double. Russell Westbrook isn't most players. The Oklahoma City point guard has been relatively quiet through three games this series and registered 14 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists and two steals in the Game 3 defeat. He only shot 5-of-17 from the floor and had eight turnovers over 37 minutes. His plus-minus was a team-worst minus-25. He is averaging 20.7 points through three games versus the Jazz and shooting only 36.1 percent from the floor. The Thunder go as Westbrook goes and they'll need a much bigger output from him in order to turn the series around.

NBA Betting Trends 

Oklahoma City

The under is 5-1 in the last six Thunder road games. The under is 8-1 in the last nine meetings in Utah. 

Utah 

The under is 14-5 in the last 19 meetings. The Jazz are 5-1 ATS after scoring 100 or more points in their previous game.

Prediction: 

As we all know, Utah plays stifling defense and it seems Oklahoma City has more trouble dealing with it than most teams. After last game saw 217 total points, expect tonight to take a downturn in the scoring department. The Jazz are 43-41-1 on unders this season, while the Thunder are 47-38. This game fits the bill as both teams will be focused on lockdown defense and it's hard to see at least the Thunder putting together a strong offensive game.

 

NBA DAILY PREDICTION: THUNDER/JAZZ UNDER 209