A late-night Western Conference showdown should be an intriguing one as the Los Angeles Clippers will hit the road to the Beehive State to clash with the Utah Jazz. Let's check out our NBA odds series where our Clippers-Jazz prediction and pick will be made.

After a complete domination by the Clippers during their season opener in a 123-111 victory that saw LA lead by as much as 30 points at one point, could it really be that this franchise can finally be contenders within a locked and loaded Western Conference?

Meanwhile, the Utah Jazz are in more of a rebuilding phase in comparison to the Clippers, but they are still more than able to get the job done considering they will be playing in front of their roaring fans who will be more than ready to do their part nine helping the squad avenge a 130-114 loss to the Kings on Wednesday. After a 37-45 record a year ago which resulted in missing out on the playoffs, can Utah prove that they are taking the necessary steps in the right direction on their path to returning to the postseason?

Here are the NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NBA Odds: Clippers-Jazz Odds

Los Angeles Clippers: -4 (-110)

Utah Jazz: +4 (-110)

Over: 228 (-108)

Under: 228 (-112)

How to Watch Clippers vs. Jazz

Time: 9:30 ET/6:30 PT

TV: NBA/Youtube TV

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Clippers Could Cover The Spread

Entering this contest as -4.5 point favorites, the Los Angeles Clippers' Achilles heel has obviously been their inability to stay healthy. Believe it or not, the frustration over the last several seasons and their shortcomings has only boiled to a breaking point. Simply put, the Clippers' championship window is quickly shrinking, and they will need stars Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook to be generally healthy in order to accomplish such aspirations.

Shockingly enough, the Clippers have lost a resounding ten consecutive games on the road in Utah. In fact, the Clippers last defeated the Jazz in their home building way back on December 15th, 2021, and will need to play close to perfection to get rid of past demons that have made life miserable for LA at the Delta Center.

Most importantly, attacking the Jazz from beyond the arc seems like an acceptable gameplan considering it was Utah that got absolutely blitzed in their season-opening loss by surrendering 19 three-pointers to the Sacramento Kings. Meanwhile, the Clippers ended up catching fire from deep as they accumulated a 47% clip from way downtown. If both of these statistics remain true, then it could be a good night for Clippers fans and bettors galore.

As a whole, Los Angeles will also want to make sure that they continue to facilitate the basketball to the highest degree. On paper, it ended up being Westbrook who led his squad with 13 assists, becoming the first Clippers player with that many assists since Andre Miller in 2002. Indeed, making that extra pass to an open teammate and playing an unselfish brand of basketball will do wonders for the Clippers on Friday.

Why The Jazz Could Cover The Spread

Not a whole lot is expected from the Jazz this season, but at the very least, Utah still boasts some supreme playmakers that can make opposing teams pay at any given time. More specifically, the Jazz are led by skilled big man Lauri Markkanen who is the definition of a stretch power-forward. With a decent three-point shot and tremendous touch in the paint, Markkanen is a rare breed and is fresh off of an All-Star appearance a year ago.

While guys like Lauri Markkanen and even Jordan Clarkson will need to bring their A game against a fully healthy Clippers squad,  the biggest component of tonight's game that the Jazz will need to end up taking advantage of will be with the ball in their possession. Simply enough, there are times when Utah seems to have more holes on defense than a sinking boat, but catching fire offensively could be just what the doctor ordered. A year ago, this was an offense that averaged 117.6 PPG which ranked sixth in all of the NBA.

Of course, the monumental addition of forward John Collins from Atlanta is a bigger deal than one would seem, as the former Hawk is already making large contributions to his new team with 15 points in the season debut. Without a doubt, there is enough size on this Jazz roster to compete with the Clippers and their length, but it will all come down to whether or not Utah can avoid enduring dry spells on the offensive end of the floor.

Final Clippers-Jazz Prediction & Pick

Despite the Clippers entering this contest as favorites, past history suggests that they will in for a difficult contest at a place where they haven't been able to buy a win. Because of the fact that LA has lost ten straight in Utah, taking the Jazz to kick off your betting weekend doesn't seem like a terrible idea.

Final Clippers-Jazz Prediction & Pick: Jazz +4 (-110)