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Jeremy Perry
Thunder vs. Utah Jazz: Game 3 Prediction, NBA Playoff Odds
The Oklahoma City Thunder have the two best players in this series but when Game 2 was on the line it was Utah’s rookie, Donovan Mitchell, who put in the superstar effort.
NBA Playoffs Point Spread and Betting Analysis
The Thunder dropped to 35-48-1 against the spread on the campaign following Wednesday’s outright loss to the Jazz as 3.5-point home favourites. OKC failed to reach the century mark in points for just the third time in its last 23 games. The under is 9-3 in the Thunder’s last 12 games overall and 47-37 on the season.
Utah improved to 16-3 straight up (13-6 ATS) in its last 19 road games after the seven-point win in Game 2 against the Thunder. The Jazz have a reputation for having one of the best home-court advantages in the NBA and went 28-13 SU and 22-19 ATS at Salt Lake City this season.
The under is 5-0 in OKC’s last five away games and 22-8 in the last 30 meetings between these two teams.
The Jazz are now the favourites to win the series at -132 with the higher-seeded Thunder paying even money (+100) on the Sports Interaction NBA futures board.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony did not have good days at the office in Game 2. The star trio shot a collective 32.8 percent from the field and went a combined 0-for-15 in the fourth quarter. That’s not going to cut it for OKC supporters.
More troubling is the health of centre Steven Adams. The big man injured his right shoulder going for a dunk in Game 1. He played 22 minutes of action in Game 2 while running back to the locker room for treatment several times during the course of the contest.
Utah Jazz
Utah backers like what they’re seeing from the big-man combination of Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors. The pair combined for 33 points and 31 rebounds in Game 2 and exposed OKC’s smaller frontline in the process.
Donovan Mitchell scored 28 points on Wednesday his 55 points in the series set a new NBA record for most points for a rookie guard in his first two playoff games.
