The Utah Jazz will host the Los Angeles Clippers in the opening game of this Western Conference best-of-seven series. It’s time to continue our NBA Playoffs odds series and make a Clippers-Jazz prediction and pick.

Utah seems to be in a much better position after completing the gentleman's sweep against the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round. Los Angeles, on the other hand, just completed a seven-game series against the Mavericks that forced them to win two straight after going down 3-2.

Although momentum may actually be on their side right now, the Clippers only had one day to get ready for this second round series with the Jazz. Utah won two of the three meetings between these clubs during the regular season.

Here’s how sportsbooks have set the opening Clippers-Jazz odds.

NBA Odds: Clippers-Jazz Odds

Los Angeles Clippers +4 (-107)

Utah Jazz -4 (-113)

Over 220.5 Points (-110)

Under 220.5 Points (-110)

Why The Clippers Could Cover The Spread

The Los Angeles Clippers should be grateful that they are still alive after going down early in their series against the Dallas Mavericks. They were down 2-1, then 3-2, and still managed to claw their way back into the second round. The Clippers finally found a way to win a game on their home court in Game 7, which is promising heading into this series.

Los Angeles has now won four of their last five games to date and seem to be playing cohesive basketball at the right time. Reggie Jackson took a major leap midway through the previous series and averaged 18.2 points on 42.2% shooting from deep during the recent five-game stretch. Major role players like Terrance Mann stepped up as well, but the Clippers are here mainly because of the play of Kawhi Leonard.

The Clippers superstar forward averaged 32.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 2.3 steals, and one block per game in the first round. He shot a whopping 61% from the floor and 42.5% from three over the seven games against the Mavs. Paul George went through many of the same shooting woes that he did in last year's bubble and if this team is going to knock off the top-seeded Jazz, PG will have to take a leap forward.

Why The Jazz Could Cover The Spread

The Utah Jazz certainly looked like the best team in the Western Conference during their opening series against the Memphis Grizzlies. We understand that Memphis was the eighth seed in the west, but they showed throughout the series that they were no pushover. Utah's leading scorer Donovan Mitchell showed the world why he is ascending into one of the best scorer's in all of basketball.

The lethal scorer averaged 28.5 points and 5.8 assists over the four games that he played in during the first round. Mitchell took it upon himself to facilitate as well as he delivered eight and 10 assists in the last two games of the series, respectively. Utah is extremely deep and it's guys like Mike Conley and Rudy Gobert that add stability to the game plan.

Gobert absolutely dominated the paint in the first round, averaging 17.4 points, 13 rebounds, and 3.2 blocks against a Grizzlies front court led by Jonas Valanciunas. Mike Conley was having a phenomenal series through the first three games, averaging 23 points and 11.3 assists before re-aggravating a recent hamstring injury. Conley's play was limited for the rest of the series, likely for precautionary measures. His presence in this series will be extremely important for his club.

Final Clippers-Jazz Prediction & Pick

Although the Utah Jazz made easy work of the Grizzlies in the first round and absolutely dominated on their home court this season, I see the Clippers being the better team in Game 1. Los Angeles has more firepower at the top of their roster and Kawhi Leonard is playing out of this world right now. The Clippers have won four out of their last five games and there's no doubt that they will continue their recent success in the first game of this series. For a team that has struggled in the postseason, look for Kawhi Leonard to channel his 2019 self and lead this team past the Jazz in Game 1 and for the duration of this series.

FINAL CLIPPERS-JAZZ PREDICTION & PICK: Los Angeles Clippers +4 (-107)