Jazz vs. Hawks Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Thursday, Feb. 5

The Utah Jazz have been active this week in the trade market, executing a blockbuster deal for former Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr.

Now, the Jazz hit the road on Thursday night to take on the Atlanta Hawks, who made a big trade much earlier in the season, moving on from All-Star guard Trae Young.

Atlanta is favored at home in this matchup as it looks to reach the playoffs in the East, but the Jazz have been frisky at times this season, knocking off the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday.

Jackson Jr. has been ruled out in this game, and the Jazz won’t have Keyonte George (ankle) either.

Meanwhile, Atlanta is looking to creep closer to the top of the Southeast Division standings, as both the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat are in the play-in mix with the Hawks at this point in the campaign.

Here’s a look at the odds, my favorite player prop target and a prediction for Thursday’s action.

Jazz vs. Hawks Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread

Jazz +9.5 (-108)
Hawks -9.5 (-112)

Moneyline

Jazz: +295
Hawks: -375

Total

244.5 (Over -105/Under -115)

Jazz vs. Hawks How to Watch

Date: Thursday, Feb. 5
Time: 7:30 p.m. EST
Venue: State Farm Arena
How to Watch (TV): FanDuel Sports Network (Local), KJZZ
Jazz record: 16-35
Hawks record: 25-27

Jazz vs. Hawks Injury Reports

Jazz Injury Report

Keyonte George – out
Jaren Jackson Jr. – out
Walker Kessler – out
John Konchar – out
Jock Landale – out
Kevin Love – questionable
Vince Williams Jr. – out

Hawks Injury Report

Kristaps Porzingis – out
Onyeka Okongwu – questionable
Duop Reath – out
N’Faly Dante – out
Caleb Houston – doubtful
RayJ Dennis – doubtful
Nikola Djurisic – doubtful

Jazz vs. Hawks Best NBA Prop Bets

Jazz Best NBA Prop Bet

Lauri Markkanen 25+ Points (-127)

Earlier today, I shared in my NBA Best Bets column – Peter’s Points – why Markkanen is a great prop target against Atlanta:

The Hawks have improved their defense in recent weeks, moving up to 15th in the league in defensive rating, but they are still 23rd in opponent points per game (118.1).

The last time these teams played, Utah scored 122 points, and Markkanen had a massive game, scoring 40 points on 15-of-25 shooting from the field. This season, the star forward is averaging 27.4 points per game while shooting 47.7 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from beyond the arc.

Markkanen is taking a career-high 19.5 shots per game, and that should only increase with both George and Jackson out of the lineup. The Jazz forward has 19 and 23 shot attempts in his last two games, scoring 27 points in each of them.

I think this line is a steal for Markkanen, as it's over two points below his season average.

Jazz vs. Hawks Prediction and Pick

These teams combined for 254 points in their first meeting this season, and I wouldn’t be shocked to see another high-scoring affair on Thursday.

The Jazz have just been awful defensively this season, ranking dead last in both defensive rating and opponent points per game. Utah is allowing 126.9 points per game, nearly four more a night than any other team in the NBA.

On top of that, these teams are both in the top three in the league in pace, so there are going to be a ton of possessions for both squads to score on Thursday.

The OVER is 31-20 in Utah’s games this season (No. 2 in the NBA) and 27-25 in Atlanta’s games. Since the Hawks are under .500 at home, I’d much rather take a swing at the total in this matchup than trusting either of these teams to cover with this spread pushing double digits.

Pick: OVER 244.5 (-105 at DraftKings)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.

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