The Utah Jazz will face the San Antonio Spurs in a Western Conference battle on Friday night. It's time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Jazz-Spurs prediction and pick.
The Jazz are one of the best teams in the Western Conference yet again. Head coach Quin Snyder's unit has remained remarkably consistent over the past couple of years, and the 2021-2022 season has been no different. The Jazz have earned a 41-24 record, a mark that is good for the fourth seed in the conference.
The Spurs haven't had nearly as much success. San Antonio is 25-41 and is set to miss the playoffs again. Despite their record, the Spurs have managed to play good opponents tough in the past. There's no reason to expect any different in this matchup, especially with Gregg Popovich going for the all-time wins record.
Here are the Jazz-Spurs NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Jazz-Spurs Odds
Utah Jazz: -6 (-110)
San Antonio Spurs: +6 (-110)
Over: 229 (-110)
Under: 229 (-110)
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Why The Jazz Could Cover The Spread
Utah's defense could be the deciding factor in this matchup. The Jazz have been locking up opponents all season long, allowing only 107 points per game. The Jazz also hold their opponents to 45% shooting from the field and some of the worst shooting efficiency numbers in the NBA. Those defensive stats should play well against a middling San Antonio offense. The Spurs score a lot of points per game, but their shooting percentages aren't particularly good. Expect the Jazz to perform particularly well on the defensive side of the ball in this one.
The Utah offense should also fare well in this game. The Spurs aren't a particularly strong defensive team, as shown by the fact that they allow a whopping 113 points per game. San Antonio allows decent shooting percentages across the board, while also giving their opponents the most possessions per game in the entire NBA. The Jazz should be able to put up good scoring numbers based on the pure volume of shots they'll put up here.
Why The Spurs Could Cover The Spread
While the Jazz own one of the best records in the league, they've actually been pretty bad at covering the spread. Utah is 28-36-1 against the spread on the season, one of the worst records in the league. San Antonio is 33-32-1 ATS on the year, a surprisingly good mark for a team that has struggled overall. It's possible that the bookmakers are giving the Jazz a little bit too much credit in this game, especially considering the circumstances.
The fact that the Jazz have to play on the road will be a factor here. Utah has been much worse on the road than at home, earning a 69% winning percentage at home and a 56% winning percentage on the road. The Spurs have been equally bad at home and on the road, but it's clear that the Jazz don't like playing away from their home floor. It doesn't help that they'll be missing starting forward Bogdan Bogdanovic, one of their most important players.
Final Jazz-Spurs Prediction & Pick
The Spurs should cover in this matchup. The Jazz have been bad against the spread this season, and they've also been bad when playing on the road. Take San Antonio to cover comfortably here.
Final Jazz-Spurs Prediction & Pick: San Antonio Spurs: +6 (-110)
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