The Utah Jazz got rid of their star players, they shipped them off before the season and were supposed to be one of the tanking teams in the NBA.
The Portland Trail Blazers held onto Damian Lillard and were supposed to contend for a playoff berth, but now we’re in March and it’s the opposite. The Blazers are in 13th in the West and functionally buried at 31-40 while the Jazz are 10th at 35-36 just a game behind sixth place in the conference.
The Jazz have won two straight over the Celtics and the Kings heading into tonight’s matchup with Portland in Utah.
Here are the odds for Jazz/Trail Blazers tonight.
Blazers vs. Jazz odds, spread and total
Blazers vs. Jazz prediction and pick
The last time these teams met was at the end of January and the Trail Blazers got a 10-point victory that night. Lillard dropped 60 points that night and Utah had no answer for him. They still might not have anyone to stop Lillard, but he has slowed some lately.
Not in terms of pure production, but his efficiency has certainly dropped. In March, Lillard is still averaging 32.5 points a game, but only on 42.5% from the field and 34% from 3.
The Trail Blazers are 2-8 in March, only Detroit is worse and they have a -9.9 net rating in the month which is the worst in the league. Portland is 0-4 against the spread in its last four games overall.
The Jazz just need to keep Lillard in check, because he can go for 60 or even 70 on any given night, but as long as they hold him under 50 points, they should be fine.
Only, I can’t guarantee that. Utah’s defense has been a big issue. It is 26th in defensive rating in the month and because of that the over is 7-0-1 in their last eight games. To protect against Lilllard going nuclear, I’ll take the over instead of trusting the Jazz.
Pick: Over 234.5 (-110)
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Author: Josh Yourish
March 22, 2023 | 2:07 pm
