It's a brand new week and the NBA will showcase this great western conference matchup. The Portland Trailblazers take on the Utah Jazz in a battle between playoff teams. It's time to continue our NBA odds series with a Blazers-Jazz prediction and pick based on Blazers Jazz odds.
The Blazers are on a three-game losing streak on the road. They currently sit at 10-10 and are seventh in the Western Conference standings. Damian Lillard continues to be a star for Portland while CJ McCollum is quietly returning to his old self. This is a big game for Portland early in the season looking to move their way up the standings. The Jazz are likely going to win the Northwest Division but the Blazers are going to be right behind them. It's crucial the Blazers win this game so that they could potentially win a tiebreaker. Although, the Jazz could very well finish the season with a top-5 record in the NBA.
Utah is 13-7 and is third in the conference. The Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns decided not to lose again so the Jazz are somehow five games behind at this point in the season. Donovan Mitchell is averaging 22.8 points and Bojan Bogdanovic is quietly averaging 17 points. Rudy Gobert continues to be a beast and is averaging a double-double on the season. His 14.9 points per game and 14.5 rebounds per game are among the highest in the league.
Let's see how the bookmakers set the Blazers-Jazz lines for Monday night.
NBA Odds: Blazers-Jazz Odds
Portland Trailblazers: +7 (-108)
Utah Jazz: -7 (-112)
Over: 223.5 (-110)
Under: 223.5 (-110)
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Why The Blazers Could Cover The Spread
If the Blazers are going to cover this spread, then Lillard and McCollum are going to need to play well. They are seeing solid production from Norman Powell who is averaging just under 17 points per game and is a great defender. Powell is going to more than likely match up against Mitchell for most of the game and if he can do a good job of containing him then this game should be close. Center Jusuf Nurkic will have his hands full as he will match up against Gobert. If Nurkic can control the rebounds then that will be a major factor in them covering the spread.
The Blazers are 5-5 in their last 10 games and need to rely on their offense to win games. The defense needs to step up if they want to be more consistent. Powell is listed as day-to-day with a quad injury and the Blazers will need him to play to improve their chances. If he is out for tonight then that will make it difficult for them to contain Utah's high-powered offense.
Why The Jazz Could Cover The Spread
The Jazz should be able to cover this spread. They are playing well as of late and are one of the top teams in the NBA. If it weren't for two dominant teams ahead of them in the conference, Utah would be a game or two outside of first place in the West. It's still very early in the season and this is right around the time where the Jazz started to pick things up last season. Utah went on a huge run in 2020 which skyrocketed them into first place in the West, where they ultimately stayed for the whole season.
The Jazz display one of the top bench rotations in the league. Jordan Clarkson is averaging 15 points a game and Rudy Gay 10.3. Hassan Whiteside always comes off the bench and all three of those players could potentially start on another team. Throw in Joe Ingles and Royce O'neale (who has started 19 games this year), you have quite a lot of depth. Mike Conley is continuing to play great basketball also and I really expect the Jazz to be in the middle of things when the season starts to wind down. For now, expect them to continue to play strong defense and force difficult matchups against the rest of the league.
Final Blazers-Jazz Prediction & Pick
I'm taking the Jazz to cover this spread in what should be a great game. I think the Blazers will keep this game close, but it's hard to really tell with that team. The Blazers have proven to beat any team they play while also losing to any team they face. Seven points should be enough for the Jazz to move to 4-0 against the Northwest Division. Both teams can score a lot of points so I also like the over to hit in this game as well.
Final Blazers-Jazz Prediction & Pick: Jazz -7 (-112) & Over: 223.5 (-110)
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