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The San Antonio Spurs will head up to Salt Lake City to take on the Utah Jazz in a crucial Western Conference affair on Monday night. It’s time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Spurs-Jazz prediction and pick.
San Antonio is holding onto the last play-in spot for dear life as the New Orleans Pelicans are roaring up the standings with just over a week to play. Utah is on the opposite end of the spectrum as it is in a neck-and-neck battle with the Phoenix Suns for the top seed in the Western Conference standings. Which club will get one step closer to their ultimate goal in this highly-touted matchup?
Here’s how sportsbooks have set the opening Spurs-Jazz odds.
NBA Odds: Spurs-Jazz Odds
San Antonio Spurs +7.5 (-110)
Utah Jazz -7.5 (-110)
Over 221 Points (-115)
Under 221 Points (-105)
Why The Spurs Could Cover The Spread
Whether they're good, bad, or indifferent, the San Antonio Spurs are never a team you want to play. The Spurs have been indifferent this year as they're one game under .500 on the season and playing .500 ball of late, going 5-5 over their last 10 games coming in. They're currently riding a three-game losing streak and will have to win very soon if they want to hold onto that tenth spot that New Orleans is desperately seeking.
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San Antonio needs to find ways to help DeMar DeRozan with Dejounte Murray and Derrick White both hobbled and out. The Spurs' outside shooting has been detrimental as they're attempting less and hitting at a lower clip than their opponents on a regular basis. This doesn't bode well against a Jazz team that attempts the most three's per game and hits at the third-highest clip in the league. Patty Mills and Lonnie Walker seem to be the only efficient outside shooters for this club and will be the X-factors for San Antonio against Utah. The Spurs haven't won much lately, but are still 5-0-1 ATS in their last six games.
Why The Jazz Could Cover The Spread
The Utah Jazz couldn't be happy to watch the top seed slip between their fingers as Phoenix surpassed them in the standings the other night. Utah will almost certainly be a top-two seed in the west, but home-court advantage throughout the Western Conference playoffs can't be overlooked. The Jazz will have their hands full as they are battling injuries right now with Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell both out for the foreseeable future. Utah is one of the deepest teams in the league and will look to continue shooting opponents out of the gym without their top-two guards.
Joe Ingles, Georges Niang, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Jordan Clarkson will be responsible for manning the wings and continuing Utah's dominance on the perimeter. If the plethora of wing options can perform, the Jazz won't lose many games with their big-man Rudy Gobert manning the middle. Gobert has a nice matchup against Jakob Poeltl and will look to dominate the boards to create second-chance points for his club often. Utah will bring the utmost confidence into this matchup as they're 6-1 in their last seven home games against San Antonio.
Final Spurs-Jazz Prediction & Pick
The San Antonio Spurs have battled through adversity all season long and will continue to do so behind their hall-of-fame head coach Greg Popovich. Utah has been one of the best teams on their home court this season but will be without their two starting guards for this matchup against a Spurs club that is in do-or-die mode. San Antonio is 21-8-1 ATS on the road this season and has covered in eight of their last 10 games coming in. Despite the current three-game losing streak, San Antonio would've covered this spread in nine of their last 10. I like the Spurs to cover this spread and I'm confident that they'll have a chance to steal a game in Utah late.
FINAL PICK: San Antonio Spurs +7.5 (-110)
