The Golden State Warriors and Utah Jazz meet tonight in Oakland in one of the long running rivalries in the NBA’s Western Conference. Find out why we have decided to add a play on this matchup's total to our
NBA picks tonight.
Sportsbooks opened with the Warriors favored by -4.5 points with the total at 193.5. Due to early sports betting action, both numbers have risen to -5 and 194.5 respectively.
Lets check out the options we have with our NBA picks and decide which NBA odds hold the best value for us in this matchup.
Golden State (7-12 SU, 8-11 ATS) has yet to win three
games in a row, and will look to win back-to-back games for just the third time.
A victory however, would give the Warriors three wins in four games, something
they also haven't accomplished this year.
Golden State beat Sacramento 93-90 in their
last outing. Brandon Rush scored 15
of his 20 points in the fourth quarter and finished 4 for 5 from 3-point range.
Golden State's bench outscored Sacramento's 43-21. In the fourth quarter and
the Warriors backups outscored the Kings' starters 25-11. Since the acquisition
of guard Nate Robinson, the bench has been a big factor in Golden State's
success, outscoring opponents' benches by nearly 10 points a contest (34.4 to
24.8) over the past 13 games.
Utah (12-8 SU, 10-10 ATS) is coming off a narrow
107-105 loss to the Clippers last night in Salt Lake City. The Jazz had no
answer for Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, who both recorded double-doubles in
the game. Paul scored a game high 34 points with 11 assists while Griffin went
for 31 points and pulled down 14 rebounds. Al Jefferson had 27 points and 11
boards while C.J. Miles contributed 16 for Utah.
Test
for the Jazz
Utah has beaten Philadelphia, Denver,
Memphis, and blew out the Clippers on January 17. They also played Dallas and the Los
Angeles Lakers in tight matches. In turn, the Jazz have become one of the early-season
surprises in the NBA, entering Wednesday ranked fifth in the Western
Conference. The Jazz are 10-4 at EnergySolutions Arena, but won’t be spending
much time there over the next few weeks. Utah which is 2-4 away from the Salt
Lake City will play 14 of its next 20 on the road starting tonight. This
stretch should help determine whether Utah is the real deal or a pretender.
Stat
sheet
Golden State is just 2-7 against the Western
Conference. The Warriors are 3-4 when scoring in triple digits and are 1-8 when
allowing at least 100 points. Golden State is 21st in the league in field goal
defense (45 percent) and 28th in points allowed (99.7). Offensively they’re 13th
in scoring (96.2 ppg), ninth in field goal percentage (45.7) and eighth from
beyond the arc (36.9).
The backcourt duo of Monta Ellis (20.8 ppg)
and Stephen Curry (15.6) have been in and out of the lineup with injuries, especially Curry who has a chronic ankle injury. David Lee, the former Florida
star, is second on the team in scoring and leads in rebounds (18.6 ppg, 9.9
rpg).
Utah is 10th in scoring (97.2 points per
game) which is better than expected. However the defense is 18th in
the league in scoring (96.2). Al Jefferson and Paul Milsap have done the heavy
lifting for the Jazz. Jefferson leads the team in scoring with 18.5 points per
game. Milsap is averaging 17 points per game and the two players share the
rebounding lead (9.2 rpg).
Trends
The ‘under is 10-0-1 in the last 11 series
meetings, 11-2 in Utah’s last 13 games against the Pacific Division and 13-4 in
Golden State’s last 17 home games.
In addition, the Jazz are 9-3 to the low side
in their last 12 road games. The Warriors are 11-5 to the ‘under’ in their past
16 games against Western Conference opponents.
Harvey’s Take: It’s tough to ignore the trends that point to an
‘under’. Here’s another one; in the last ten series meetings, the ‘under’ is
9-0-1. Go low and make some dough tonight in Oakland.
Good
luck!