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On Saturday night, the Utah Jazz will travel to Illinois for a battle with the Chicago Bulls at the United Center. It's time to continue our NBA odds series as we make a Jazz-Bulls prediction and pick.
On Thursday night, the Jazz defeated the Houston Rockets 131-114 at the Toyota Center. Significantly, Lauri Markkanen went off for 49 points while shooting 15 for 27 with eight rebounds. Jordan Clarkson added 19 points and five assists, while Malik Beasley came off the bench to score 19 points, including five 3-pointers. Ultimately, the Jazz shot 49.5 percent from the field and nailed 20 of 21 attempts from the charity stripe. The Jazz also won the turnover battle.
On Friday night, the Bulls defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 126-112. Ultimately, Zach LaVine carried the load with 41 points, including a staggering 11 3-pointers. Nikola Vucevic delivered his 20th triple-double of the season with 19 points, 18 rebounds, and 10 assists. Also, Patrick Williams added 18 points. The Bulls converted 57.1 percent of their shots from the field, including 58.8 percent from beyond the arc. Additionally, the Bulls also won the battle of the boards 45-30.
The Bulls lead the all-time series 55-53. However, the Jazz have gone 7-3 over the last 10 games. The Bulls defeated the Jazz earlier this season 114-107 in Salt Lake City. Ultimately, the Jazz lost the battle of the boards 50-45 and only made 40 percent of their attempts from the charity stripe.
The Jazz are 20-21 this season; their hot start has dissipated and they have cooled down and are attempting to get back into the playoff race. Substantially, they are 3-7 over their last 10 games. The Jazz are also 8-14 on the road this season. Meanwhile, the Bulls are 18-21 and struggling to keep themselves above water, hanging onto the 9th seed in the Eastern Conference. Chicago is 7-3 over its last 10 games. Likewise, the Bulls are 10-9 at the United Center.
Here are the Jazz-Bulls NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Odds: Jazz-Bulls Odds
Utah Jazz: -1.5 (-108)
Chicago Bulls: +1.5 (-112)
Over: 239 (-110)
Under: 239 (-110)
How To Watch Jazz vs. Bulls
TV: NBCS and SN-RM
Stream: NBA
Time: 8 PM ET/5 PM PT
*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Jazz Could Cover The Spread
The Jazz are still playing well despite trading away their two best players. Substantially, they have discovered a new star. Markkanen averages 24.5 points per game while shooting 52.9 percent from the field. Likewise, he averages 8.4 rebounds per game. Clarkson averages 20.6 points per game while distributing 4.5 assists per contest. Meanwhile, Beasley averages 14.3 points per game.
The Jazz are the second-best team in the NBA in scoring. Therefore, their games usually involve fast-paced action and they put up a lot of buckets. But the Jazz are also inconsistent. Consequently, they rank 14th in field goal shooting percentage. The Jazz are also 12th from beyond the arc. Moreover, they are 16th from the free-throw line. The Jazz continue to battle at the boards, ranking 12th in rebounds. Conversely, they struggle at handling the ball, ranking 25th in turnovers. The Jazz also are up-and-down on the defensive end, ranking 17th in blocked shots.
The Jazz could cover the spread if they can score at a fast pace and keep the Bulls off balance. Additionally, they must prevent LaVine from dominating the game.
Why The Bulls Could Cover The Spread
The Bulls are still without Lonzo Ball, who continues to recover from knee surgery. Meanwhile, they still have other stars that contribute. DeMar DeRozan averages 26.6 points per game with a 50.5 percent field goal shooting percentage. Moreover, LaVine averages 22.4 points per game. Vucevic is a consistent star with 16.8 points per game and a 51.2 percent field goal shooting percentage. Likewise, he averages 10.2 rebounds per game.
The Bulls are 14th in scoring in the NBA. Also, they rank fifth in field goal shooting percentage and 10th in 3-point shooting percentage. The Bulls also rank second in the association in free-throw shooting percentage. However, Chicago struggles on the boards, ranking 25th in rebounds. The Bulls also struggle to handle the ball, ranking 18th in turnovers. Additionally, the Bulls are inconsistent on the defensive end, ranking 16th in blocked shots.
The Bulls could cover the spread if LaVine can put up buckets in droves and DeRozan contributes to the scoring effort. Likewise, they must stop Markkanen from doing damage to them. The Bulls must slow the game down.
Final Jazz-Bulls Prediction & Pick
Many older people remember the classic Jazz-Bulls NBA Finals series from the 90s. Conversely, unlike those games, the Jazz will come out on top this time around. Expect the Jazz to take advantage of a tired Bulls team and come into the United Center and deliver a victory.
Final Jazz-Bulls Prediction & Pick: Utah Jazz: -1.5 (-108)
