San Antonio Spurs (1-2) vs. Utah Jazz (0-4)
October 31, 2024 9:00 pm EDT
The Line: Utah Jazz -3.5; Over/Under: -230.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The San Antonio Spurs invade the Delta Center to battle the Utah Jazz on Thursday night. Here’s a Utah Jazz vs San Antonio Spurs Prediction. This article will include a Utah Jazz vs San Antonio Spurs Pick.
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs have been doing it tough so far this season as they’ve lost three of their first four games and they will be eager to avoid a third straight defeat after falling short against the Thunder in a 105-93 loss last night. The Spurs also lost to the Mavericks and Rockets, and they play the Timberwolves and Clippers next. Harrison Barnes led the team in scoring with 18 points, Jeremy Sochan provided 17 points with nine rebounds and four assists, Malaki Branham scored 15 points off the bench, and Chris Paul chipped in with 14 points and nine assists.
As a team, the Spurs shot just 41 percent from the field and 12 of 36 from the 3-point line as they struggled to keep pace with the Thunder from the start and scored just 19 points in the first quarter to trail by 19 points in the first half. The Spurs fared a little better in the second half, but it was too hard to overcome a poor night from Victor Wembenyama who scored just six points on one of five shooting in 27 minutes of action.
Utah Jazz
Meanwhile, the Utah Jazz have yet to win their first game this season and they are now hoping to avoid a fifth straight defeat after getting thrashed by the Kings in a 113-96 loss on Tuesday. Jordan Clarkson led the team with 21 points on eight of 16 shooting, John Collins added 18 points off the bench while Keyonte George tallied 10 points with 11 assists.
As a team, the Jazz shot just 39 percent from the field and 14 of 48 from the 3-point line as they allowed the Kings to get off to a flyer to fall behind by double digits right away and things only got worse in the third quarter where they managed just 14 points to trail by as many as 27 points. Keyonte George had a rough shooting night as he shot just three of 13 from the field while Collin Sexton finished with just four points on zero of seven shooting off the bench.
Why the Utah Jazz will win
- The Spurs have lost 23 of their last 25 night games on the second leg of a back-to-back.
- The Jazz have won each of their last six Thursday games against Southwest Division opponents that held a losing record.
- The Spurs have failed to cover the spread in eight of their last nine games against Jazz teams that held a losing record.
- The Jazz have covered the spread in each of their last six Thursday games against Southwest Division opponents that held a losing record.
Total Points Facts
- Five of the Spurs’ last six road games against Northwest Division opponents have gone UNDER the total points line.
- Four of the Jazz’s last five night games have gone UNDER the total points line.
Utah Jazz vs San Antonio Spurs Prediction
The Spurs are still shorthanded with Tre Jones still ruled out, while the Jazz are keeping an eye on Lauri Markkanen, who is listed as questionable for this one. The Spurs got exposed by the Thunder last night as they had serious trouble feeding the ball to Wembenyama despite being guarded by much smaller defenders, but they’ve caught a bit of a break as they are now playing the struggling Jazz who have yet to win a game this season. You couldn’t back either side with any confidence, but the Jazz could have Markkanen back in the lineup, so I will reluctantly lean toward the Jazz to beat the Spurs who are playing on zero days’ rest.
