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The NBA season continues with games on Friday. The San Antonio Spurs will travel to take on the Utah Jazz. It's time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Spurs-Jazz prediction and pick.
These two teams have been having very different seasons. The San Antonio Spurs are 10-17 and are coming off an embarrassing loss. While the Utah Jazz are 20-7 and have one their last eight games. This lopsided match up could be the prime set up for an upset.
Here are the odds for the Spurs-Jazz Friday night NBA matchup, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Spurs-Jazz Odds
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San Antonio Spurs: +11.5 (-110)
Utah Jazz: -11.5 (-110)
Over: 226.5 (-108)
Under: 226.5 (-112)
Why The Spurs Could Cover The Spread
The San Antonio Spurs have been having a rather disappointing season. Through their first 27 games they have only managed to secure 10 wins. The Spurs are coming off a 16 point loss to the Charlotte Hornets. While they have struggled this season, they have also shown some flashes of competitiveness. Even though San Antonio is not a top team in the league they could still be competitive in this game. If the Spurs want to have a chance at winning on Friday they will need to improve on their performance from last game.
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In their loss to the Hornets, the Spurs were outpaced in nearly every statistic. The Hornets took less shots than the spurs, 86 vs 90, yet made them at a significantly higher percentage, 59.3% vs 43.3%. If that wasn't enough, the Hornets were on fire from beyond the arc making 18 of 34 three point attempts, while the Spurs only made 12 of 37. The only areas where San Antonio had the advantage was in free throws, steals, and turnovers. By far the most impressive aspect of the Spurs game was that they were able to convert 25 of 25 free throw attempts. Even with this staggering figure San Antonio still fell short by 16 points. Bluntly, the Spurs simply need to make more shots.
The leader of the Spurs this season is Dejounte Murray. San Antonio has leaned on Murray all season, and it appears that when he succeeds so does the team. In their loss to the Hornets, Murray only had 10 points, yet he managed to dish out 9 assists and grab 6 boards. On the season Murray is averaging nearly 18 points, 8 assists, and 8 rebounds a game. If he can step up in possibly their toughest game of the season, then maybe the Spurs can keep this game close.
Why The Jazz Could Cover The Spread
The Utah Jazz are one of the best teams in the NBA. Through their first 27 games they have managed to win 20 and only lose 7. The Jazz are hot right now and have won their last 8 games. Their most recent win came against the Clippers by 21 points. Utah has looked like a team that is going to make a deep run this year in the playoffs. If they can keep on playing the way they have been then this game should be no problem for the Jazz. Utah just needs to come into this game ready to dominate and they should be able to.
In their win over the Clippers, the Jazz had the edge across all significant metrics. The Jazz took more shots, 89 vs 85, and made more shots, 47 vs 40. Utah also made 5 more three pointers than the Clippers, and did so at a higher efficiency, 40.5% vs 33.3%. The Jazz also had more rebounds, assists, and steals than the Clippers. They were truly dominant in that win and the score accurately represents that. If Utah can continue to play strong, fundamentally sound basketball, then they should have no problem putting up another dominant performance on Friday. They are mostly healthy and look poised for another great game.
Leading the way for this Jazz team is Donovan Mitchell. Mitchell has really come into his own as an NBA star and has led this Jazz team to a successful season thus far. In their win over the Clippers, Mitchell had 27 points and 6 assists in 32 minutes of playing time. This performance is rather typical of Mitchell, who is averaging nearly 25 points and 5 assists per game. If Spida Mitchell can keep on playing solid basketball, and the rest of the team can do their part, then this Jazz team should have no problem dismantling the inferior Spurs.
Final Spurs-Jazz Prediction & Pick
Even with such a wide spread this pick is pretty easy. The Jazz are on an absolute heater right now and betting against them is a losing move. They have beaten their last four opponents by 32, 22, 25, and 21, all while showing no signs of slowing down. The Spurs are the worst team the Jazz have faced in their last four games so they should be able to win by a wide margin. Pick the Jazz to win and cover.
FINAL SPURS-JAZZ PICK: Utah Jazz -11.5 (-110)
FINAL SPURS-JAZZ SCORE PREDICTION: Jazz 120 – Spurs 104
