Milwaukee Bucks (52-20) vs. Utah Jazz (35-37)
March 24, 2023 9:00 pm EDT
The Line: Utah Jazz +8.5; Over/Under: +231.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Utah Jazz play host to the Milwaukee Bucks at the Vivint Arena on Friday night.
The Milwaukee Bucks have been in fine form as they’ve won seven of their last nine games overall and they will be gunning for a third straight victory after blowing past the lowly Spurs in a 130-94 win on Wednesday. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the team with 31 points, 14 rebounds and two assists, Khris Middleton added 19 points with 10 assists while Bobby Portis chipped in with 19 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. As a team, the Bucks shot 52 percent from the field and 15 of 43 from the 3-point line as they took control of the contest with 66 points in the first half and they just never took their foot off the gas, outscoring the Spurs in every quarter to make it a blowout.
Meanwhile, the Utah Jazz have been in decent shape as they’ve won four of their last six games overall, but they will be hoping to bounce back here after getting routed by the Trail Blazers in a 127-115 loss on Wednesday. Lauri Markkanen led the team with 40 points, 12 rebounds and three assists on 14 of 23 shooting, Kendrick Nunn added 15 points off the bench while Kelly Olynyk chipped in with 12 points, 10 rebounds and two steals. As a team, the Jazz shot 47 percent from the field and 11 of 35 from the 3-point line as they got outscored by 39-22 in the second quarter to fall behind, before they leaked 36 points in the fourth quarter to get blown out in the end.
Looking at the betting trends, the Bucks are 11-1 ATS in their last 12 road games, 13-3 ATS in their last 16 games against a team with a losing record and 1-4 ATS in their last five games following a win of more than 10 points. The Jazz are 1-4-1 ATS in their last six home games, 5-0-2 ATS in their last seven games against a team with a winning record and 6-1 ATS in their last seven games overall.
Head to head, the under is 8-3 in the last 11 meetings in Utah, the Bucks are 4-17 ATS in the last 21 meetings in Utah and the Bucks are 10-30 ATS in the last 40 meetings overall.
The Bucks are shorthanded for this one as Khris Middleton, Goran Dragic and Jae Crowder are all out, while the Jazz have ruled out Jordan Clarkson, Collin Sexton, Rudy Gay and Lauri Markkanen. Both teams are missing some players, but there’s no doubt that the Bucks have the major advantage in depth, given how many key players are out for the Jazz. The Bucks are the hottest team in the league at the moment and they are 11-1 ATS in their last 12 road games, so I’ll stick with the Bucks to take advantage of the depleted Jazz in this spot.
