The Utah Jazz (24-9) travel to Moda Center Wednesday to take on the Portland Trail Blazers (13-20). Tip-off is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Jazz at Trail Blazers odds and lines, and make our expert NBA picks, predictions and bets.
The Jazz are coming into this game as the hottest teams in the Western Conference, having won eight of their last 10. However, given their typical spread is more than half a dozen, they’re just 16-17 ATS this season. As road favorites, Utah is 8-6 ATS.
Utah will be down its top scorer, Donovan Mitchell, tonight. The Blazers will be without their second-best scorer, CJ McCollum, and their starting center, Jusuf Nurkic.
The Blazers have been awful this season as compared to expectations. Damian Lillard‘s play with the new foul rules has been lacking, and the superstar also missed several games, a stint in which Portland went just 1-4.
Portland is just 2-8 overall in their last 10 games as well. But, at the Moda Center, the Blazers are 11-8 overall. They’re 0-2 ATS as home underdogs and 9-10 ATS at home.
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Jazz at Trail Blazers odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Jazz -300 (bet $300 to win $100) | Trail Blazers +230 (bet $100 to win $230)
- Against the spread (ATS): Jazz -6.5 (-120) | Trail Blazers +6.5 (-105)
- Over/Under (O/U): 228.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Jazz at Trail Blazers key injuries
Jazz
- G Donovan Mitchell (shoulder) out
Trail Blazers
- F Robert Covington (health and safety protocols) out
- C Jusuf Nurkic (health and safety protocols) out
- G CJ McCollum (lung) out
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Jazz at Trail Blazers odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Jazz 114, Trail Blazers 107
Money line
PASS. The Blazers have been too good at home to take the Jazz.
There’s almost no regular-season NBA game I’d lay any unit on the favorite at -300. Similarly, the +230 for the home side is intriguing but not intriguing enough against an elite Jazz side.
Against the spread
BET on the JAZZ -6.5 (-120) as the better bet. While the Blazers have been good at home, their major flaw is in their three-point defense. Utah is going to abuse that.
Portland ranks 30th in opponent’s three-point percentage. The Jazz shoot the most threes in the league, make the most threes in the league and shoot the fifth-highest rate from deep.
With many defenders capable of slowing down Lillard, which is the Blazers’ main source of scoring, Portland may struggle to put up many points on an elite Jazz defense.
Utah is only one of two teams with an offense and defensive rating that is among the top seven in the league. Despite Mitchell’s absence, the Jazz are skilled enough to cover this spread.
I’d side with the scorching hot Jazz here.
Over/Under
BET on the UNDER 228.5 (-110). Portland is down its starting center (Nurkic is averaging 13.2 points per game) and second-leading scorer, McCollum.
With Lillard shooting the worst percentage of his career and not much help from his supporting cast, many of which will be sidelined, Portland will likely struggle to score.
Utah is the more concerning team as they could light up Portland. However, they topped 112 points twice in their last five games.
Per Pregame.com, there’s also some reverse line movement with the total opening at 230 and edging lower despite the vast majority of money and tickets being on the Over. I’d side with the sportsbooks and lay a unit on the Under here.
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