An NBA Northwest Division battle will be in the works to kick off the work week as the Utah Jazz travel south to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder. Let's check out our NBA odds series where our Jazz-Thunder prediction and pick will be revealed.

In the midst of that could be considered a rebuilding year, the Jazz enter this competition at 7-15 and are already 10.5 games back of the Minnesota Timberwolves for the first-place spot in the division. Losers in four of their last five games overall, it is a must for Utah to start to turn their season around before it is far too late.

Meanwhile, the Thunder have become more promising young teams in the league They've already proved they can handle a giant leap into contending status thus far this year. Overall, the Thunder are 14-7 including a 7-4 mark on their home floor. In addition, Oklahoma City currently sits as the two-seed in the Western Conference.

Here are the NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NBA Odds: Jazz-Thunder Odds

Utah Jazz: +12.5 (-112)

Oklahoma City Thunder: -12.5 (-108)

Over: 234 (-110)

Under: 234 (-110)

How to Watch Jazz vs. Thunder

Time: 8:00 ET/5:00 PT

TV: Bally Sports Southwest

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Jazz Could Cover The Spread

While the odds are more than stacked against them as +12.5 road underdogs in this one, the Jazz still possess some talented individuals that could turn this game upside down on its head.

Although the Jazz are a horrendous 1-10 on the road this season, be on the lookout for Jordan Clarkson to carry the load offensively for a Utah squad that is still without the services of star Lauri Markkanen; who remains out with a hamstring injury. Already shorthanded, it will be up to Clarkson to score at will from the mid-range game to beyond the arc. As it stands, the 31-year-old guard is averaging 17.1 points per game and will obviously be the most dangerous scoring threat for the Jazz in this one.

On the defensive side of things, the Jazz have struggled mightily in keeping the basketball out of their own hoop. In order to shock a rock-solid team like the Thunder on the road, forcing turnovers and wreaking havoc in the form of contested shots.

Remember, this is a team that is only two games removed from surrendering a whopping 147 points to the Dallas Mavericks in a 50-point blowout loss. At the end of the day, the Jazz will have no shot in this one if they cannot grab control of lose rebounds and come out with a lazy approach defensively.

Why The Thunder Could Cover The Spread

Don't look now, but could the Oklahoma City Thunder be growing up right before our very eyes? At first look, this Thunder squad is as dangerous as they come especially on their home-floor. Overall, they have won four out of their last five games at the Paycom Center and are slowly but surely beginning to out together a lethal home-court advantage.

Not only are the Thunder continuing to prove that they are a formidable force in front of the home crowd, but there star-power that exists on this roster is hard to deny. In a thrilling 138-136 overtime triumph over the Golden State Warriors, it was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander that ended up being unstoppable scoring wise en route to dropping 38 points on 50% shooting from the floor.

On the season, SGA is sixth in the league in scoring at 30.5 PPG, and is also proving that he can be a facilitator by dishing out 6.2 assists per game as well. If all else fails, the Thunder will need to put the rock in SGA's hands in order for him to go into takeover mode.

To make matters worse for the Jazz and their case to cover the spread, the Thunder also possess five double-digit scorers that can all go into “Sicko Mode” in the blink of an eye. On top of that, this team ranks second in defensive field-goal percentage which also does not bode well for a short-handed Utah offensive unit. At the end of the day, OKC can be relied upon to string together defensive stops and make life extremely difficult for the Jazz to make some noise with the basketball in their possession.

Final Jazz-Thunder Prediction & Pick

Although division games seem to be as narrow as possible, this won't be the case here. On paper, the Thunder are the far better squad and unless they come out extremely flat, it should be expected that Oklahoma City will exploit the many weaknesses that exist with this Utah team.

Final Jazz-Thunder Prediction & Pick: Thunder -12.5 (-108)