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The shorthanded Brooklyn Nets will attempt to snap a four-game losing streak on the road as they prepare to take on the Utah Jazz. It is time to check out our NBA odds series where our Nets-Jazz prediction and pick will be made.
Hit with a devastating injury to Kevin Durant that will see him miss the next few weeks with an MCL sprain to his right knee, Brooklyn has decided to play it safe and hold their superstar small forward out until after the All-Star Break. Because of this, the Nets are in the midst of a tough stretch in which they have lost four in a row including five of their previous seven overall.
As for the Utah Jazz, they are fresh off of back-to-back triumphant victories against the Timberwolves and Clippers as they attempt to work themselves back north in the Western Conference Standings after starting off the regular season so hot. Although Utah trails Denver by 9.5 games for first place in the division, the Jazz find themselves occupying the sixth-overall seed in the conference.
Here are the Nets-Jazz NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Odds: Nets-Jazz Odds
Brooklyn Nets: +7.5 (-108)
Utah Jazz: -7.5 (-112)
Over: 229.5 (-110)
Under: 229.5 (-110)
How To Watch Nets vs. Jazz
TV: YES Network/NBA TV
Stream: NBA League Pass
Time: 9:00 ET/6:00 PT
*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Nets Could Cover The Spread
Even though the absence of Kevin Durant hurts this team drastically in more ways than one, the Nets need to rebound quickly if they are to end their losing ways in a swift manner. Above all else, Brooklyn will need to storm out of the gates in an impressive fashion to take the crowd's energy out of the game early.
At first glance, the Nets have been rather pedestrian against the spread this season, but they are still more than capable of taking care of business to kick off their weekend. To begin, it will prove to be vital for Brooklyn to figure out a way to find other scoring options in the wake of KD's injury. After almost miraculously overcoming a 24-point deficit in the loss versus the Suns in the third quarter and only losing by five, Brooklyn has fallen to 0-4 without Durant due to their uninspired offensive outings. In fact, the Nets have averaged only 102 points per game during their previous four contests.
Obviously, Brooklyn has not been shooting the ball well, but expect Kyrie Irving to carry a good portion of the load offensively after he dropped 30 points on the Suns while also recording seven assists and rebounds on the night. Despite some inefficient shooting from Kyrie, he is the heartbeat of this team at the moment and could solely be responsible for dragging Brooklyn out of their losing slump.
In addition, the Nets need to take things into their own hands when it comes to their elite three-point shooting. At the moment, Brooklyn boasts the second-best shooting percentage from deep at 38.5% and they will definitely need to shoot lights-out to steal one on the road in a hostile environment.
Why The Jazz Could Cover The Spread
Unlike the Nets, the Jazz have been trending positively with some hard-fought and gritty victories coming fairly recently. These have been much-needed for a Utah squad attempting to keep their heads above water out in the wild, wild, west and are now in a firm position to continue to catapult themselves up there standings.
When it comes to covering the spread at home versus the Nets tonight, Utah will find great success with another phenomenal performance from power forward Lauri Markkanen. One of the more underrated All-Star-worthy players that this extremely talented league has to offer, Markkanen has scored 30 points eleven separate times this season and has quickly transformed himself into a budding superstar in Salt Lake City. Alas, Brooklyn may find it difficult to match up with Markkanen, and if he ends up getting double-teamed, look for the former Cavalier and Bull to show off his passing abilities by finding open teammates for scores.
Not to mention, Utah's bread and butter comes in the from of their high-octane attack on offense that has been supplemented by tremendous passing from everyone on the floor. Ranked within the top ten of assists per game at 25.8, the Jazz don't often play iso-ball and are more than willing to spread the ball around on offense to put a good amount of stress on defenses by getting high-percentage shots and not waiting until the final seconds of the shot clock to attack the basket.
However, if Utah is going to cover later tonight, it will be because they have accumulated a solid 27-21 record ATS and are also equipped with one of the bigger home-court advantages throughout the NBA.
Final Nets-Jazz Prediction & Pick
As much as bettors who love siding with the underdog want to take the Nets in this one, Brooklyn is still trying to figure out life with Durant, and going up against the Jazz on the road won't serve as a get-right type of game.
Final Nets-Jazz Prediction & Pick: Jazz -7.5 (-112)
