Spurs vs. Jazz Pick
Are the host Utah Jazz the right play tonight when they battle the San Antonio Spurs at 10:30PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, the Spurs are a 4-point favorite on the spread line. The total has not been set.
San Antonio enters with a 22-10 overall record and 16-15-1 ATS after a 93-91 win at the Trail Blazers, its third consecutive victory. Utah is 14-18 overall and 17-15 ATS following a 107-79 loss at the Thunder, its third straight defeat. The Spurs went 2-2 straight up and 2-1-1 ATS in four meetings last season. The over went 4-0.
LaMarcus Aldridge led the way with 22 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots against his former team in the win at Portland. Pau Gasol had a massive game with 20 points, 17 rebounds, five assists and two blocked shots. Manu Ginobili contributed 10 points, three rebounds and three steals off the bench. Patty Mills also accounted for 10 points as a reserve. San Antonio led 54-46 at halftime and held on late.
Rodney Hood scored a team-best 17 points for the Jazz in the loss at Oklahoma City. Alec Burks registered 14 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals. Thabo Sefolosha added 12 points, three rebounds and two blocked shots off the bench. The Thunder led 25-9 after one quarter and cruised from there.
San Antonio is 5-2-1 ATS in the last eight meetings. The under is 9-3 in the last 12 meetings in Utah.
The Spurs held on in Portland despite Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker being held out for rest purposes on the front end of a back-to-back. San Antonio also got Kyle Anderson back from injury and he played well in 24 minutes, meaning Danny Green is the only player with a questionable status as he is dealing with a leg injury. Although Leonard isn’t quite at 100 percent, his presence alone boosts the Spurs to another level. If Aldridge can continue to play the way he has the bulk of the season, this is going to once again be a scary Spurs team come April. But right now they are dealing with a less than ideal environment in Utah, where the Jazz were without rookie guard Donovan Mitchell in the loss at OKC. Who knows how much of an impact he could have made as they were drilled, but surely he would have helped. If Mitchell plays, I like Utah in this spot. Utah is 11-5 at home, while San Antonio is 7-8 on the road. Taking the Jazz to end their losing skid and bouncing back in a big way seems like the right play here.
NBA DAILY PREDICTION: UTAH JAZZ +4