Subscribe
Follow Us
With the first week of the NBA season in full swing, the surprising Utah Jazz will head out to Minneapolis to take on their Northwest division foes the Minnesota Timberwolves. Let's take a look at our NBA odds series, where our Jazz-Timberwolves prediction and pick will be revealed.
Who would've thunk it, but after a complete overhaul of the roster during the offseason that saw the departures of longtime Jazz stars Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell in what appeared to be Utah heading into a rebuilding phase. However, the new-look Jazz overwhelmed the Denver Nuggets at home and raised some eyebrows around the league. While the first few games played by each team tends to cause some overreactions, it is quite possible that this Utah squad can exceed expectations and be a player in the Western Conference playoff picture.
Of course, former Jazz big man Rudy Gobert will be facing off with his old squad and will most likely dominate the headlines going into this one. Spending all ten of his seasons in Utah, Gobert now teams up with Karl-Anthony Towns in Minnesota to form a Twin Towers of sorts and will surely cause the Timberwolves' opposition's hair to turn gray as the season progresses. With another year of development from Anthony Edwards as well, expectations for Minnesota haven't been this high since Kevin Garnett was winning the Most-Valuable Player Award in the North Star State.
Here are the Jazz-Timberwolves NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Odds: Jazz-Timberwolves Odds
Utah Jazz: +8.5 (-110)
Minnesota Timberwolves: -8.5 (-110)
Over: 226.5 (-110)
Under: 226.5 (-110)
Why The Jazz Could Cover The Spread
Leading the Nuggets as much as 19 points before capping off an impressive season debut by downing Denver 123-102, Utah looked like a dominant force in all aspects of the game on Wednesday. Not only that but even more magnificent was their ability to look like such a well-oiled machine with seemingly a minuscule amount of reps between all of the new faces in Salt Lake City. Whether it was PG Collin Sexton scoring 20 points off of the bench or Lauri Markkanen shooting 50% from the floor, it appears that the Jazz has some shiny, new toys to play with against the T-Wolves.
If Utah is going to impress in back-to-back games and cover the spread in doing so, they will need to attack Minnesota with a collective-team effort from multiple names in the rotation. Against Denver, the Jazz had five players in double figures and shot 48% from the field as a whole. Settling for high-percentage looks and getting the Wolves' big-man tandem in Towns and Gobert in foul trouble should be a high priority.
Article Continues Below
Not to mention, the Jazz will need to stay hot from downtown. With a 42% mark versus Denver, Utah will need to look for their sharpshooters to supply them with big buckets down the stretch. Obviously, this Jazz crew will at some point endure growing pains as they continue to gel as a unit, but for now, a similar recipe for success that they used the other night will no question give the Wolves a run for their money.
Why The Timberwolves Could Cover The Spread
The higher the expectations are to begin the season, the harder the fall is when they are not met. With this fear in the back of their minds, Minnesota took care of their business by dismantling the Thunder 115-108 and got a first look at how dominant Rudy Gobert can be out on the floor. So far, so good. In fact, the lengthy Frenchman might've been the best player out on the hardwood with a team-high 23 points and a whopping 16 rebounds. Already a defensive force throughout his career as he has taken home DPOY honors three separate times, if Gobert can log in another stellar offensive performance against his old squad, then the T-Wolves are gonna be tough to slow down.
Another element to Minnesota's game that might doom Utah is their stifling defensive attack. With the offense doing their job by generating 115 points in the win against the Thunder, it was the defense that put the clamps down on OKC. By the conclusion of the game, the T-Wolves held the Thunder to 38% shooting and only 31% from three. Simply put, Minnesota may make the Jazz work harder to put the ball in the basket which could prove to be a huge advantage.
Last and certainly not least, be on the lookout for PG D'Angelo Russell to build off of a solid showing in the team's opening game. With 20 points on the stat line for the night, if Russell can consistently put up that kind of production on offense all season long, then Russell could be a borderline All-Star.
Final Jazz-Timberwolves Prediction & Pick
The Jazz' feel-good win under first-year coach Will Hardy as well as ten new faces was a remarkable achievement, but playing a complete game in back-to-back games with so much change will be a difficult task. Already 1-0 in front of their home fans, expect Rudy Gobert and the Timberwolves to come out with their hair on fire in what should be a convincing victory.
Final Jazz-Timberwolves Prediction & Pick: Timberwolves -8.5 (-110)
