Utah Jazz (12-20) vs. LA Clippers (11-21)
January 1, 2026 10:30 pm EDT
The Line: LA Clippers -11.5; Over/Under: 235.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Utah Jazz invade the Intuit Dome to do battle with the Los Angeles Clippers on New Year’s Day.
Utah Jazz Betting Preview
The Utah Jazz have been doing it tough lately as they’ve lost five of their last seven games overall and they will be hoping for a better result in this one after having their two-game win streak snapped by the Celtics in a 129-119 loss on Tuesday. Keyonte George led the team with 37 points, six rebounds and seven assists on 13 of 24 shooting, Jusuf Nurkic added 26 points with eight rebounds and eight assists on 10 of 11 shooting while Lauri Markkanen chipped in with 22 points and nine rebounds. As a team, the Jazz shot 47 percent from the field and 16 of 42 from the 3-point line as they took the fight to the Celtics early on and poured in 38 points in the first quarter to take a 12-point lead, but they couldn’t hold off the Celtics who exploded for 70 points in the second half to spoil their win streak.
Los Angeles Clippers Betting Preview
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Clippers look to have turned their season around as they are now riding a season-high five-game win streak after making light work of the Kings in a 131-90 home win on Tuesday. Kawhi Leonard led the team with 33 points, five rebounds and five assists on 11 of 19 shooting, James Harden added 21 points with five assists while John Collins chipped in with 16 points and three blocks on six of nine shooting. As a team, the Clippers shot 51 percent from the field and 14 of 38 from the 3-point line as they absolutely dominated both ends of the floor from the tipoff and were never in any danger after outscoring the Kings by 73-40 in the first half and they didn’t take their foot off the gas until the final buzzer.
Utah v Los Angeles Free Prediction
The Jazz have already ruled out Jusuf Nurkic, Ace Bailey, Kevin Love and Georges Niang with Keyonte George and Lauri Markkanen both listed as questionable, while the Clippers are missing Bradley Beal, Ivica Zubac and Bogdan Bogdanovic. The Jazz have really been struggling lately with the only two bright spots being the play of Markkanen and George who are both under an injury cloud for this one. The Clippers were always going to be heavy favorites at home in this matchup but I think it’s fully justified given their last five wins. I can’t picture anything but a comfortable win and cover for the Clippers at home in this one.
