The Utah Jazz pay a visit to the Portland Trail Blazers at the Moda Center on Friday night. Here’s a Trail Blazers vs. Jazz prediction. This article will include a Trail Blazers vs. Jazz pick.
Utah Jazz Betting Preview
The Utah Jazz have been in a slump, as they’ve dropped nine of their last 11 games overall and they will be hoping for a better effort after getting trampled by the Knicks in a 134-117 loss on Wednesday. Brice Sensabaugh led the team with 29 points, five rebounds and five assists on nine of 19 shooting. Ace Bailey added 21 points, while Kyle Filipowski chipped in with 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists. As a team, the Jazz shot 48 percent from the field and 18 of 36 from the 3-point line as they stormed out of the gates with 41 points in the first quarter to open up an 18-point lead, but it didn’t last long at all as they got outscored by 78-52 in the second half to trail by as many as 22 points at one stage.
Portland Trail Blazers Betting Preview
Meanwhile, the Portland Trail Blazers have been in a rut, as they’ve lost four of their last six games overall and they will be hoping to bounce back in this one after falling painfully short to the Hornets in a 103-101 loss on Tuesday. Jerami Grant led the team with 24 points on seven of 10 shooting, Deni Avdija added 22 points with seven assists, and Scoot Henderson chipped in with 17 points on six of 10 shooting off the bench. As a team, the Trail Blazers shot 42 percent from the field and 16 of 42 from the 3-point line as they dominated the first quarter by 34-20 to take an early 19-point lead, but they couldn’t maintain that pace and eventually got chased down in the fourth quarter, where they managed just 19 points. The Trail Blazers actually held a one-point lead late in the fourth quarter before the Hornets closed the final 1:18 on a 6-3 run to steal the game at the death.
Why the Portland Trail Blazers will win
- The Jazz have lost each of their last 10 road games against Western Conference opponents following a loss.
- The Trail Blazers have won each of their last eight games against Western Conference opponents that held a losing record.
- The home team has covered the spread in each of the Trail Blazers’ last six games.
- The Jazz have failed to cover the spread in seven of their last eight games against Western Conference opponents that held a losing record.
Why the Utah Jazz will win
- The Jazz have won each of their last five games against the Trail Blazers following a home loss.
- The Trail Blazers have lost seven of their last nine games as home favorites against Northwest Division opponents following a loss.
- The Trail Blazers have failed to cover the spread in eight of their last nine games as home favorites against Northwest Division opponents following a loss.
- The Jazz have covered the spread in each of their last four games following a loss.
Total Points Facts
- Each of the Trail Blazers’ last nine games as home favorites has gone OVER the total points line.
- Each of the Jazz’s last five games against Northwest Division opponents has gone OVER the total points line.
Portland Trail Blazers Player Facts
- Donovan Clingan ranks 1st in the league for second-chance points (267) this season.
- Deni Avdija is one of only nine qualified players in the league averaging at least 20.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists this season.
Utah Jazz Player Facts
- Isaiah Collier is the only player in the league to have recorded 19+ assists in a game this season.
- Brice Sensabaugh is the only player to have scored 40+ points off the bench in a game this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Trail Blazers rank 30th in the league for opponent steals per game this season (11.0).
- The Trail Blazers rank 30th in the league for opponent blocks per game this season (5.9).
- The Jazz rank 30th in the league for opponent points per game this season (125.0).
- The Jazz rank 30th in the league for opponent assists per game this season (30.3).
Trail Blazers vs Jazz Prediction
The Jazz are still missing Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., Keyonte George and Jusuf Nurkic, while the Trail Blazers have ruled out Shaedon Sharpe for this one. The Trail Blazers could really do with a win to get their season back on track and they were more than competitive in a narrow defeat to the Hornets on Tuesday, but I like their chances against this ice-cold Jazz squad, who are still missing most of their starting lineup. The Trail Blazers have already beaten the Jazz three times this season and the last two were complete blowouts so I am expecting more of the same here, with the Trail Blazers securing the comfortable win and cover at home.