We're back once again with a betting prediction and pick for this upcoming tilt in the Western Conference to conclude today's slate. The Los Angeles Clippers (21-24) will visit the Utah Jazz (15-31) to conclude their season series tied at 1-1. Check our NBA odds series for the Clippers-Jazz prediction and pick.
The Los Angeles Clippers are currently tenth in the Western Conference standings, most recently beating the Brooklyn Nets 126-89 in their last game. They've turned things around with an 8-2 record over their last 10 games, looking to keep their momentum rolling against the Jazz.
The Utah Jazz occupy the 13-spot in the Western standings, losing their last game 147-116 to the Miami Heat. They've lost six of their last seven games heading into this one, but have a chance to win their season series against the Clippers in this rubber match.
NBA odds courtesy of DraftKings
Clippers vs. Jazz Odds
Los Angeles Clippers: -8.5 (-110)
Utah Jazz: +8.5 (-110)
Over: 233.5 (-115)
Under: 233.5 (-105)
Clippers vs. Jazz Key Injuries
Los Angeles: Kris Dunn (ankle – Questionable) / Kawhi Leonard (knee – Questionable) / Bradley Beal (hip – OUT) / Bogdan Bogdanovic (hamstring – OUT) / Derrick Jones Jr. (knee – OUT)
Utah: Kevin Love (knee – Probable) / Lauri Markkanen (conditioning – Questionable) / Jusuf Nurkic (illness – Doubtful) / Keyonte George (rest – OUT) / Walker Kessler (shoulder – OUT) / Georges Niang (foot – OUT)
Clippers vs. Jazz Betting Trends
- The Utah Jazz are 10-14 at home this season. The Los Angeles Clippers are 8-15 on the road.
- The Clippers are 14-10 as betting favorites, the Jazz are 12-30 as underdogs.
- The Jazz are 25-21 ATS overall, 15-9 ATS at home. The Clippers are 22-23 ATS overall, 11-12 ATS on the road.
- The Clippers are 7-3 outright, 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games against the Jazz.
- The Clippers are 14-4 ATS over their last 18 games.
- The Jazz are 2-4 ATS in their last six games.
- The total has gone OVER in six of the Clippers' last 10 games.
- The total has gone OVER in five of Utah's last seven games.
Keys to Clippers vs. Jazz Matchup
The Clippers and Jazz will play their third and final rubber match with the season series tied 1-1. Both games were decided by double-digits as the Jazz took the first meeting 129-108, the Clippers winning the most recent meeting 118-101. Walker Kessler was the deciding factor in Utah's win over Los Angeles, posting game-highs with 22 points and nine rebounds. His services will certainly be missed for Utah during this game and with Lauri Markkanen still working his conditioning after a long absence, the Jazz may be pressed to find reliable options in their front court.
Utah's Jusuf Nurkic is also likely to miss this game with an illness, so the Jazz will have to rely on Kyle Filipkowski and Kevin Love for most of their interior production. While the rookie/veteran combo may be enough to keep pace until Lauri Markkanen returns to full action, they'll certainly struggle with the matchup against Clippers' Ivica Zubac, who's third in the NBA with 11.0 RPG. Filipkowski will have to ramp his production up while the backcourt searches for options without Keyonte George on the floor.
The Clippers have been driven by James Harden's scoring and facilitating this season and although Kawhi Leonard is the clear No. 1 scoring option on this team, Harden has been much more reliable and available consistently throughout this season. This latest winning streak proves that the Clippers have all the tools necessary to get back to a .500 record and contend for the playoffs by the end of the regular season.
With the clear mismatch in favor of the Clippers, James Harden should look to lead the charge in both scoring and assisting for his teammates. Kawhi Leonard is still ‘questionable' and there's no guarantee he'll play tonight, so James Harden should look to be the steady flow of scoring and feeding the ball inside to Ivica Zubac.
Clippers vs. Jazz Prediction and Pick
The Clippers and Jazz will be deciding their season series in this final meeting, but Utah is sending a patchwork lineup of bench players with a number of injuries to their starters. While the Clippers aren't completely healthy themselves, they've looked much more impressive during this recent stretch of games and should be in a solid position to continue their success in this one.
I expect the mismatches for James Harden and Ivica Zubac to be too great for the Jazz as the pair should dominant with their pick-and-roll sets. With Walker Kessler out for the Jazz, Zubac will also have minimal resistance in rebounding the ball, so expect a huge advantage for the Clippers on the boards in this one.
For our final prediction, we're going to roll with the Clippers to cover the spread and the total to fly under with the limited scoring capabilities of the Jazz. If Harden can manage double-digit assists while Zubac adds double-digit rebounds, the Clippers should cruise to another double-digit win.
Final Clippers-Jazz Prediction & Pick: Los Angeles Clippers -8.5 (-110); UNDER 233.5 (-105)
