Utah Jazz vs Los Angeles Lakers betting tips and predictions for Monday’s NBA game on Spectrum SportsNet. Just 3 days after their clash at Crypto.com Arena, the Lakers and Jazz square off for the 2nd time this season in Salt Lake City. Read on for all our free predictions and betting tips.
Utah Jazz
With 4 wins in 5 games the Jazz are clear favorites to beat the Lakers once again tonight. Utah is coming off a win over the other LA team, just last night they beat the Clippers 110-102 in Los Angeles and now they look to protect home court against LeBron and company. At 4-0 they are one of the few teams left in the NBA without a home defeat, a big reason for that has been the play of Lauri Markkanen who is averaging 22.2 points per game.
It wasn’t him who played the biggest role in last night’s win, Jordan Clarkson had 23, while Colin Sexton added 22 off the bench for a total team effort. In the game played against the Lakers on Friday the Jazz scored 130, I think the strategy won’t change too much tonight, so everyone will have to step up here. Despite having 6 more wins than the Lakers and LA yet to win a road game, the Jazz are favored by just 1.5 points here.
Los Angeles Lakers
LeBron James finally looked like himself yesterday as he went for 27 points against his old team, but it didn’t mount to a victory as the Lakers fell in the early-tip off 114-100. Them playing early yesterday means that they had a few more hours to rest. Whether or not that makes a difference remains to be seen. One thing that could make a difference is the play of Russell Westbrook who continued excelling in his bench role with 19 points and 10 assists.
The thing that hurt the Lakers was their three-point shooting as they connected on just 8 of 27 shots, finishing under 30% once again. Against a fast tempo Jazz squad they won’t stand a chance if the shooting doesn’t improve. With just 2 wins in their last 12 visits to Salt Lake City, I must say I’m not feeling the Lakers’ chances here, especially with Patrick Beverly not playing due to an illness.
Utah is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 vs Western Conference teams, they are unbeaten at home in 4 games and have owned the Lakers in previous years. I just can’t see LA winning their first road game of the season at the expense of the in-form Jazz. Back the home team here.
Utah Jazz vs Los Angeles Lakers Predictions & Odds
Just 3 days ago these two teams combined to score 246 points in the game played in Los Angeles, but I think tonight’s game will see a change in approach, especially for the Lakers who simply cannot afford to run with the Jazz. LA has struggled heavily shooting the ball, they rank just 27th in points per game despite playing the fastest tempo and averaging 103.7 possessions per game. So far on the season they went under the total in 2 of the 3 road games they played in, while the Jazz are 1-3 in favor of the under in their four home games.
Over the course of the last 10 head-to-head meetings, these two teams have averaged just 215.5 points per game which is significantly lower than tonight’s projected total of 229. After seeing the Lakers’ struggles last night at home against Cleveland, I think they won’t be able to turn it around so quickly. Utah wins this one with their effort on the defensive end, let’s back the under.
