The Milwaukee Bucks and Utah Jazz are set to face off on Friday evening in a heavyweight clash of two of the best teams in the NBA. Let's examine this game and make a prediction while looking at the odds for the game.
The Bucks are 16-9 overall and currently second in the Eastern Conference. The Jazz are 20-5 and the best team in the Western Conference, and they also have the best record in the entire NBA after going 9-1 in their past 10 games.
Here's a look at how sportsbooks have set the odds for the Jazz-Bucks game.
NBA Odds: Bucks-Jazz
Bucks +2 1/2 (-114)
Jazz -2 1/2 (-106)
Over 233 1/2 PTS (-108)
Under 233 1/2 PTS (-112)
Why the Bucks can Cover the Spread
The Bucks have Giannis Antetokounmpo, and he's always difficult to stop. He's averaging 28.1 points a game with 11.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists to start the year, and he's once again been the best player on Milwaukee.
Jrue Holiday is more than likely out once again due to health and safety protocols, but Bryn Forbes has played well in his absence.
The Bucks are first in the NBA in points scored and second in field goal percentage, and finding a way to sneak past the Jazz, who are one of the hottest teams in the league, is going to be a tough task for the Bucks.
Milwaukee is top ten in just about every category, and Khris Middleton has been playing great basketball as of late as well.
Why the Jazz can Cover the Spread
The Jazz are hot. In fact, they have been the best team in the league since the calendar flipped to 2021 and they just don't seem to be going away. They are 9-1 in their last ten games and have only lost two games at home all year, so that certainly helps.
Donovan Mitchell is playing the best basketball of his career and Rudy Gobert is also playing well, even so, that he has jumped into the top 10 of the KIA NBA MVP ladder.
The Jazz have yet to lose a game in the month of February, and they have only three losses since the new year started, with one of those being to the Denver Nuggets after a career night from Nikola Jokic.
This team is legitimate, and sitting atop the Western Conference standings should give them plenty of motivation to bring their a-game on a nightly basis in order to secure home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.
Prediction and Pick
The Jazz are simply too hot right now and don't look to slow down at all, maybe all year. The Bucks give them a run for their money, and Giannis has a huge game with a double-double, but the combination of Mitchell and Gobert, and the Bucks absence of Holiday is too much for Milwaukee to overcome.
Jazz 121, Bucks 114
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