Jazz vs. Lakers Prediction: NBA Odds, Point Spread
One of the more notable games on the NBA’s schedule for Saturday will see the league-leading Utah Jazz travel to L.A. to face the defending champion Lakers. In the only other meeting between these teams this season, Utah blew out the Lakers 114-86 at home in February.
The Jazz are 5-point favourites to win on the NBA odds with a total of 213.
NBA Point Spread and Betting Analysis
Utah has been surprisingly average on the road. They have the NBA’s best record at 42-14, but they’re actually just 16-11 outside of the Beehive State. The Jazz are 33-22-1 against the spread, but have only covered in one of their last six games. They’ve hit the Over in 13 of their last 16 games against Pacific Division opponents.
The Lakers have been dealing with injury issues to key players all season, which helps explain their subpar 16-12 home record. They’re 27-29 ATS and they’ve covered in four of their last six games. L.A. has hit the Over in five of their last six games overall, but they’ve actually been an Under team in six of their last seven home games.
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz continue to impress with four wins in their last five games. They’re coming off a 119-111 win over Indiana on Friday, although they lost Donovan Mitchell to an ankle injury early in the third quarter. An MRI reportedly showed there was no structural damage to Mitchell’s ankle, but he is still expected to miss several games before he’s cleared to return. The Jazz were down by as much as 17 points before storming back for their 42nd win of the season. Before leaving, Mitchell put up 22 points, while Rudy Gobert finished with 13 points and a monstrous 23 rebounds.
Bojdan Bogdanovic led all scorers on Friday with 24 points. With Mitchell set to miss some time, Utah will need to rely heavier on Bogdanovic, who has already stepped up to another level lately. Over the last three games, Bogdanovic is averaging 26.6 points per game and shooting 51.6 per cent from the field.
Los Angeles Lakers
There’s almost no certainty over what this L.A. lineup will look like on Saturday. While LeBron James and Anthony Davis are definitively ruled out for the 15th straight game, there’s six players currently listed as day-to-day who may or may not be ready to play. With so many injuries, the Lakers struggled in the paint and with their long-range shooting in a 121-113 loss to Boston on Thursday and it might not get any better. Dennis Schroder, Andre Drummond, Marc Gasol, Kyle Kuzma and Markieff Morris are all listed as questionable for Saturday.
Regardless of who ends up being available for this game, Ben McLemore should see some significant playing time. McLemore, who signed with L.A. on April 6 after being waived by Houston, has been a nice addition to the roster. He has a strong shooting range, which the Lakers desperately need right now. McLemore put up 17 points on 58.3 per cent shooting against the Celtics on Friday. He had another 17-point performance against Brooklyn last week, shooting 50 per cent from the field and beyond the arc.
UTA
LAL