The Utah Jazz will look to get back to their winning ways against the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road. It’s time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Jazz-Thunder prediction and pick.
With the regular season coming to an end this weekend, the Jazz are motivated to take home the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. They currently sit at a 50-20 record and are one game ahead of the Phoenix Suns.
Meanwhile, the Thunder are on an eight-game losing streak and are officially eliminated from the 2021 NBA Playoffs.
Here’s how sportsbooks have set the Jazz-Thunder NBA odds.
NBA Odds: Jazz-Thunder Odds
Utah Jazz -14.5 (-113)
Oklahoma City Thunder +14.5 (-107)
Over 220.5 Points (-110)
Under 220.5 Points (-110)
Why The Jazz Could Cover The Spread
Not only do the Jazz have the best record in the league, but they are exceptional against the spread, as well. Utah covers the spread 55.7% of the time.
The reason for this is because the Jazz are among the best teams in the league on both ends of the floor. They get production from nearly every position on the court, including their players off the bench.
In fact, Quin Synder and his men are the only team in the league to be ranked in the top five for both offensive and defensive efficiency. According to Cleaning The Glass, Utah is No. 1 offensively, allowing just 107.8 points per 100 possessions, and No. 4 offensively, scoring 118.6 points per 100 possessions.
Rudy Gobert continues to dominate. He recently tied the NBA record for six games with 20 rebounds in a season and is the favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year.
However, when it comes to the Jazz this season, their biggest strength has been their depth. Despite still being without the dynamic backcourt duo of Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley (he's questionable for this game), the Jazz are one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the NBA.
After their 13th 3-pt FG tonight, the Utah Jazz have secured the NBA record for the most 3-pt FG made per game by a team.
They could record no 3-pt FG in every game for the rest of the season & still have the NBA record. pic.twitter.com/xK8c9RR5mL
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 11, 2021
Bojan Bogdanović has averaged 26.2 points in the last five games while shooting 43% from behind the arc. Also, during that same stretch, Jordan Clarkson has averaged 28.4 points while shooting 38% from 3 off the bench.
If the Jazz are to cover this massive point spread, they will need to continue to have excellent shooting efficiency from Bogdanović and Clarkson.
Why The Thunder Could Cover The Spread
The Thunder have been abysmal the second half of the season. Since the All-Star break, they are 6-28 straight up. They have been equally as poor against the spread during that point, with an 11-23 record.
Opposite of the Jazz, the Thunder are among the worst in offensive and defensive efficiency. They are last offensively, scoring just 103.8 points per 100 possessions, and 26th in defensive efficiency, allowing 117.7 points per 100 possessions via Cleaning The Glass.
Per ESPN Stats & Info, the Thunder have been outscored by 490 points in their last 25 games, the worst margin of defeat by any team in any 25-game span in NBA history. Previous worst was by the 92-93 Mavs (489 points), who went 11-71 that season.
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) May 10, 2021
Aside from explicitly stating it in public, the Thunder have made it clear that they are tanking this season. Their hope for the future relies on their assortment of draft picks and their ability to get lucky in the lottery.
To ensure that they have the greatest possible odds for a high lottery pick, they have essentially just stopped playing their best available players. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Al Horford have shut it down for the remainder of the season. On top of that, Luguentz Dort is also currently listed as out for the game against the Jazz.
With that said, the key for the Oklahoma City Thunder to cover the spread is for their rookies, Aleksej Pokusevski and Theo Maledon, to carry the load on both ends of the floor. Darius Bazley will also be counted on for scoring.
Final Jazz-Thunder Prediction & Pick
The Jazz have yet to clinch the 1-seed, so they will continue to play hard for the remainder of the regular season. Earning that top seed will likely mean they would avoid playing the Los Angeles Lakers in Round 1.
On the other hand, the Thunder have nothing to play for and are not putting their best players on the court.
For those reasons, the Jazz should cover the spread.
FINAL SCORE PREDICTION & PICK FOR JAZZ-THUNDER: UTA 124, OKC 108 (UTA -14.5)
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