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Charlie Grant
OKC Thunder vs. Utah Jazz: Game 6 Prediction, NBA Playoff Odds
Will Westbrook and the Thunder have anything left in the tank when they play the Jazz two days later in another do-or-die situation?
NBA Point Spread and Betting Analysis
The Thunder fought to see another playoff day but now have to figure out how to win in Salt Lake City. OKC lost by double digits in both playoff games at Utah. The Thunder are 5-9-1 ATS in their last 15 games and 36-50-1 ATS on the season overall.
The Jazz lost for just the eighth time in their last 40 games but they’re just 3-5 ATS in their last eight home games. Utah failed to score 100 points for the first time in the series and just the third time in its last 16 games. The over is 11-4 in Utah’s last 15 games overall.
Sports Interaction bettors are close to split on which team will cover the spread in Game 6. About 54 percent of SIA customers like the Thunder getting six points on the road while 67 percent expect the game to go over the 206-point total.
The Jazz are still the series favourites at -435 on the Sports Interaction NBA futures board while the Thunder are listed as +275 underdogs to win the series in seven games.
Oklahoma City Thunder
OKC trailed by 15 points at halftime and 25 at one point during the third quarter before Russell Westbrook turned on the afterburners. The Thunder ended the game on a 61-28 run and Westbrook outscored the Jazz all by himself (33-28) during the last 20:30 of the game.
Thunder coach Billy Donovan finally abandoned his pick and roll defense and just had his players switch everything on picks. The defensive adjustment was a big part of the reason Oklahoma City held Utah to just 43 points in the second half.
Utah Jazz
The biggest takeaway for Jazz backers from their Game 5 score is that Rudy Gobert has to stay out of foul trouble. The Utah pivot played just over 30 minutes in Game 5 and the Thunder took advantage. OKC is scoring 116.1 points per 100 possessions when Gobert is on the bench in this series and 96.7 when he’s on the floor.
