Los Angeles Clippers vs Utah Jazz betting tips and predictions for Monday’s NBA game on NBA TV. It’s a battle between two teams looking to win their 3rd game in a row as the Clippers host the Jazz. Read on for all our free predictions and betting tips.
Los Angeles Clippers
This will be the 2nd meeting of the season between the Clippers and Jazz at Crypto.com Arena with Utah winning the first one 110-102. In that game Paul George led LA with 34 points, but this time around he’s getting a lot more help with Kawhi Leonard back in the line-up after a long absence.
His presence has done wonders for the confidence of the Clippers group, they’ve won their last two with Leonard contributing a modest 6 and 11 points. It’ll take some time for him to get back into playing shape, but we are still early in the season so there’s time. With 8 wins in their last 11 games, LA has every right to feel good about themselves entering tonight’s game. They’ve covered in 5 of the last 6 meetings with Utah at home.
Utah Jazz
After a couple of bumps in the road and a 3-game losing streak, the Jazz seem to have recovered well with consecutive wins against Western Conference playoff contenders. First they took down the Suns 134-133 and then they followed it up with a win at Portland. The unsung hero from the win at Portland was Malik Beasley who came off the bench to score 29, including 6 threes made. Lauri Markkanen had his standard 23 and 10, he’s looked really good this season and could even make the All-Star team if he continues playing like this.
My worry for them ahead of tonight’s game is their away form where they are only 6-5 on the season. However they have covered in 8 straight games vs Western Conference opponents, so they’re definitely not waiving the white flag ahead of tonight’s game.
The one thing that could have a negative impact on the Jazz here is the status of Mike Conley who left the last game with a knee issue. If he doesn’t play, their playmaking would take a huge hit. I think backing the Clippers at home is a much safer option here.
Los Angeles Clippers vs Utah Jazz Predictions & Odds
Scoring always comes at a premium when you are playing a team like the Clippers. In their last 4 games opponents have scored just 97, 91, 103 and 106 points, so even the point happy Jazz could struggle finding the net here. Only the Milwaukee Bucks have a better defensive rating than the Clippers so far this season.
LA’s plan in most games is to slow things down, they play only at the 22nd fastest pace averaging 100.4 possessions per game. The Jazz are 10th in that category, but if Conley isn’t present at the point-guard position they will have issues getting up the court. The under has cashed in 2 of the 3 most recent meetings between the teams with an average of 220.3 points per game scored during that stretch. The first meeting of the season produced just 212 points, I think we’ll see a similar score line tonight, so let’s go with the under here.
