The Jazz are heading into New Orleans looking for another win after hammering the Pelicans twice in Utah, earlier this season.

The Jazz are 7-point favourites to win on the NBA odds with a total of 235.5.

NBA Point Spread and Betting Analysis

This is the third meeting between these teams this year and it hasn’t gone well for the Pelicans in the first two.  The Jazz won the first half of a two-game set in Utah 118-102 on January 19, before taking the second game 129-118 two days later.  Zion Williamson (27 points, 32 points) and Donovan Mitchell (36 points, 28 points) led their respective teams in scoring in the previous two games of this season series.

Utah has been the best team in the league this season, by far.  The Jazz are 12-2 straight up over their last 14 games.  Utah has also been a bettor’s dream, going 25-8-1 against the spread overall, covering in 11 of 17 road games.  The total has gone Over in six of the Jazz’s last nine games against teams from the Southwest Division.

It’s been a tough year overall for the Pelicans, but one thing they haven’t struggled to do is score points.  New Orleans has hit the Over in 10 of their last 11 games, including five straight home games.  Covering the spread hasn’t been as easy, as the Pelicans are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games and 14-19 ATS overall.

Utah Jazz

The Jazz sit atop the overall NBA standings and look like they’re going to stay there for a while as they have a 3.5 game lead over the Clippers in the Western Conference.  Donovan Mitchell has been the biggest reason for Utah’s dominance and he is rightly garnering a lot of MVP talk with his play this season.  Mitchell led the Jazz yet again in their 124-109 win over Orlando on Saturday.  He finished with 31 points, four rebounds and six assists.  With Mitchell’s MVP-level play, Rudy Gobert has been flying a bit under the radar, but he has also been integral to Utah’s success.  Gobert is averaging 14 points per game, 13.4 rebounds (team-high) and a career-high 2.7 blocks.  Gobert is one of the best centres in the league at patrolling and protecting the paint and it will likely come down to him to shutdown Pelicans superstar Zion Williamson.

New Orleans Pelicans

New Orleans was embarrassed in the two-game set in Utah earlier this season, so they’ll be intent on revenge at home.  The Pelicans still have some work to do if they want to get back into a playoff position and a win against the NBA’s No. 1 team would go a long way toward boosting their confidence, especially as they’ve lost their last two games.  Zion Williamson is obviously the key to this team’s success.  New Orleans’ offence completely runs through the sophomore power forward.  Williamson averages a team-best 25.5 points per game, while adding 7.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists.  In his last two games, Williamson has upped his assists to five and six respectively, while still averaging around 27 points per game.  This additional offence he is generating could be the difference maker against Utah.

NBA Prediction: Who Will Win Jazz vs. Pelicans?

• Regular Season
• Playoffs

Jazz Team Leaders

UTA

Points	Donovan Mitchell 26.43
Assists	Mike Conley 5.98
Rebounds	Rudy Gobert 13.52
FG%	Rudy Gobert 67.5
Steals	Mike Conley 1.37
Blocks	Rudy Gobert 2.68

NO

Points	Zion Williamson 27
Assists	Lonzo Ball 5.75
Rebounds	Steven Adams 8.86
FG%	Jaxson Hayes 62.5
Steals	Lonzo Ball 1.49
Blocks	James Johnson 0.86

UTA

Points	Donovan Mitchell 32.3
Assists	Mike Conley 7.67
Rebounds	Rudy Gobert 12.27
FG%	Rudy Gobert 74.1
Steals	Donovan Mitchell 1.1
Blocks	Rudy Gobert 2.09

NO

Points
Assists
Rebounds	Did not qualify
FG%
Steals
Blocks

• Regular Season
• Playoffs

Pelicans Team Leaders

UTA

Points	Donovan Mitchell 26.43
Assists	Mike Conley 5.98
Rebounds	Rudy Gobert 13.52
FG%	Rudy Gobert 67.5
Steals	Mike Conley 1.37
Blocks	Rudy Gobert 2.68

NO

Points	Zion Williamson 27
Assists	Lonzo Ball 5.75
Rebounds	Steven Adams 8.86
FG%	Jaxson Hayes 62.5
Steals	Lonzo Ball 1.49
Blocks	James Johnson 0.86

UTA

Points	Donovan Mitchell 32.3
Assists	Mike Conley 7.67
Rebounds	Rudy Gobert 12.27
FG%	Rudy Gobert 74.1
Steals	Donovan Mitchell 1.1
Blocks	Rudy Gobert 2.09

NO

Points
Assists
Rebounds	Did not qualify
FG%
Steals
Blocks

Injuries

Utah

Miye Oni (SG)

Prob Sat Back - 28 / 05 / 21

Ersan Ilyasova (PF)

Ques Sun Illness - 22 / 05 / 21

Juwan Morgan (PF)

Prob Fri Heel - 06 / 05 / 21

Royce O'Neale (SF)

Ques Fri Wrist - 29 / 04 / 21

Ersan Ilyasova (PF)

Prob Wed Hamstring - 18 / 04 / 21

Derrick Favors (PF)

Prob Mon Knee - 16 / 04 / 21

Joe Ingles (SF)

Ques Fri Knee - 13 / 04 / 21

Royce O'Neale (SF)

Out Tues Rest - 13 / 04 / 21

Jordan Clarkson (PG)

Prob Fri Ankle - 08 / 04 / 21

Elijah Hughes (SG)

Ques Thurs Illness - 03 / 04 / 21

New Orleans

James Johnson (PF)

Ques Sun Knee - 15 / 05 / 21

Naji Marshall (PF)

Prob Fri Shoulder - 13 / 05 / 21

Wes Iwundu (SF)

Ques Sun Shoulder - 13 / 05 / 21

Lonzo Ball (PG)

out for season Thumb - 12 / 05 / 21

Brandon Ingram (SF)

out for season Ankle - 05 / 05 / 21

Steven Adams (C)

out for season Toe - 05 / 05 / 21

Lonzo Ball (PG)

Prob Tues Thumb - 04 / 05 / 21

Steven Adams (C)

Prob Tues Toe - 29 / 04 / 21

Steven Adams (C)

Prob Wed Toe - 25 / 04 / 21

Steven Adams (C)

Prob Sat Ankle - 23 / 04 / 21

Injuries

Utah

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Miye Oni (SG)	Prob Sat	Back - 28 / 05 / 21	6-3	7-2	+ -
Oni is bothered by lower-back soreness, but it is projected that he will participate in Game 3 of the Western Conference first round versus the Grizzlies.
Ersan Ilyasova (PF)	Ques Sun	Illness - 22 / 05 / 21	7-4	8-3	+ -
Ilyasova is ailing from an illness, leaving his status against the Grizzlies for Game 1 of the Western Conference first round clouded.
Juwan Morgan (PF)	Prob Fri	Heel - 06 / 05 / 21	11-7	12-6	+ -
Morgan has sat out the past four games due to a heel injury, but it is likely that he will take the court Friday against the Thunder.
Royce O'Neale (SF)	Ques Fri	Wrist - 29 / 04 / 21	12-10	14-8	+ -
O'Neale is battling right wrist soreness, and it is unknown if he will dress for Friday's matchup versus the Suns.
Ersan Ilyasova (PF)	Prob Wed	Hamstring - 18 / 04 / 21	14-12	15-11	+ -
Ilyasova missed the previous game with left hamstring tightness, but it is likely that he will suit up versus the Rockets on Wednesday.
Derrick Favors (PF)	Prob Mon	Knee - 16 / 04 / 21	14-14	15-13	+ -
Favors has missed the last two games due to right knee soreness, but it is expected that he will be in the lineup versus the Lakers on Monday.
Joe Ingles (SF)	Ques Fri	Knee - 13 / 04 / 21	15-15	17-13	+ -
Ingles was held out of the previous game due to left knee soreness, and it is unknown if he will line up for Friday's tilt versus the Pacers.
Royce O'Neale (SF)	Out Tues	Rest - 13 / 04 / 21	15-15	17-13	+ -
O'Neale will not be active against the Thunder on Tuesday as he will be given a day of rest.
Jordan Clarkson (PG)	Prob Fri	Ankle - 08 / 04 / 21	16-17	18-15	+ -
Clarkson has missed the previous four games with a sprained right ankle, but it is projected that he will take the court Friday versus the Pacers.
Elijah Hughes (SG)	Ques Thurs	Illness - 03 / 04 / 21	17-19	19-17	+ -
Hughes has missed the previous three games with an illness, and it is uncertain if he will take the court Thursday versus the Trail Blazers.

New Orleans

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
James Johnson (PF)	Ques Sun	Knee - 15 / 05 / 21	0-2	2-0	+ -
Johnson was forced from the last contest with a left knee injury, leaving his status for Sunday's battle with the Lakers clouded.
Naji Marshall (PF)	Prob Fri	Shoulder - 13 / 05 / 21	1-2	2-1	+ -
Marshall was removed from the last game with a right shoulder injury, but he is expected to dress for Friday's tilt with the Warriors.
Wes Iwundu (SF)	Ques Sun	Shoulder - 13 / 05 / 21	1-2	2-1	+ -
Iwundu sat out the last game due to a left shoulder sprain, and it is unclear if he will play against the Lakers on Sunday.
Lonzo Ball (PG)	out for season	Thumb - 12 / 05 / 21	1-2	2-1	+ -
Ball is out of commission with a right thumb strain, and he miss the remainder of the season.
Brandon Ingram (SF)	out for season	Ankle - 05 / 05 / 21	4-2	2-4	+ -
Ingram is expected to miss the remainder of the 2020-21 season with a low-left ankle sprain.
Steven Adams (C)	out for season	Toe - 05 / 05 / 21	4-2	2-4	+ -
Adams will miss the rest of the 2020-21 season with a right toe sprain.
Lonzo Ball (PG)	Prob Tues	Thumb - 04 / 05 / 21	4-3	2-5	+ -
Ball is managing a right thumb sprain, but it is likely that he will dress for Tuesday's battle with the Warriors.
Steven Adams (C)	Prob Tues	Toe - 29 / 04 / 21	8-3	3-8	+ -
Adams has missed the last three games with a right toe sprain, but it is anticipated that he will take on the Warriors on Tuesday.
Steven Adams (C)	Prob Wed	Toe - 25 / 04 / 21	8-4	3-9	+ -
Adams missed the last game with a sprained right toe, but it is likely that he will lace up for Wednesday's clash with the Nuggets.
Steven Adams (C)	Prob Sat	Ankle - 23 / 04 / 21	9-4	4-9	+ -
Adams exited the previous contest with an ankle injury, but it is likely that he will be in the lineup Saturday versus the Spurs.