NBA Best Bets and Bold Predictions: Warriors vs. Jazz
The Golden State Warriors and Utah Jazz are in similar situations heading into Thursday's game in Salt Lake City. Both teams are on the second night of a back-to-back having lost to a team from Los Angeles on Wednesday and the Warriors (26–26) are just ahead of the Jazz (26–29) for 10th place in the Western Conference with one game to go before the All-Star break.
Despite 41 points from Steph Curry, Golden State fell to the Clippers 130–125 to put an end to its five-game winning streak while Utah’s 138–122 loss to the Lakers was its third straight defeat. Included in that skid for the Jazz is a 129–107 loss to the Warriors on Monday in the first of four meetings between the two teams this season.
The only player on the injury report for either team is Chris Paul (hand), who hasn’t suited up for Golden State in over a month. The Warriors are a road favorite in this Jan. 7 makeup game against a Utah team that has defended home court relatively well, posting a 17–9 mark at the Delta Center.
Golden State Warriors vs. Utah Jazz
Spread: Warriors -1.5 (-118) | Jazz +1.5 (-110)
Moneyline: GSW (-133) | UTAH (-110)
Total: 238.5 — Over (-110) | Under (-118)
Game Info: Thursday, Feb. 15 | 9 p.m. ET
Steph Curry had 41 points Wednesday night in a losing effort for the warriors.
John Hefti/USA TODAY Sports
Best Bet: Warriors Over 120.5 Points (-112)
Bold Prediction: Draymond Green Records a Double-Double
The Warriors held an 11-point advantage at the start of the fourth quarter Wednesday night, but a 44-point Clippers eruption swung the game in their favor. Curry drained nine three-pointers on his way to his third 40-point performance in February, but he didn’t get much help from his supporting cast. No other starter finished with more than 13 points, though Brandin Podziemski did chip in 25 off the bench.
Golden State is 6–2 in February with the fifth-best net rating in the NBA this month as its offense and defense have both taken a step forward. The Warriors were allowing just 106 points per game during their win streak before they ran into Los Angeles, which shot 50% from the field, saw three players score 20-plus points and connected on 29 free throws.
The Jazz fell to 2–4 in February with Wednesday’s loss to the Lakers, their third defeat in a row by double digits. Strangely, this streak follows back-to-back quality wins over the Milwaukee Bucks and Oklahoma City Thunder earlier in the month. With LeBron James sidelined, Utah had no answer for Anthony Davis and Rui Hachimura, who combined for 73 points. No Jazz player cracked 20 points and Lauri Markkanen finished with just 16.
Markkanen, the team’s leading scorer at 23.4 points per game, only had 19 against the Warriors earlier in the week. Collin Sexton and Jordan Clarkson each scored 22 but that wasn’t enough to survive Golden State’s 20 made threes, 10 of which came from Curry and Klay Thompson.
Coming off a home loss, look for the Warriors to bounce back on the road with a big offensive output. Utah ranks dead last in defensive rating in February and is 25th for the season. The Jazz have also allowed 125 or more in three straight games, a threshold the Warriors have cleared in four of their last five.
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