In this Western Conference match-up, we will see San Antonio Spurs hosting Utah Jazz at AT&T Center, the home of the Spurs.
First let’s focus on the home side, the San Antonio Spurs. They are far from what we are used of seeing from them, as they are the 13th team in the West with an overall record of 12-14. In their last 5 games, Spurs have won only 2, however, at home, they have won 3/5 games. In their last match against LA Lakers, Spurs really stepped up and performed well. After the first 2 quarters, Spurs were 4 points behind (68:72), which was a good result for them, as they were behind by up to 15 points in the 2nd quarter. Looking at the 3rd quarter, Lakers continued with a stronger performance and extended their lead to double digits prior to the last quarter (89:99). But it was the last quarter where Spurs really shined. They shot with a 71.4% accuracy from the field and 57.1% from behind the 3pt line, whereas they held Lakers at only 33.3 FG% and 10% accuracy from behind the arc. With a stunning performance, Spurs caught up to Lakers and went on to win the game by 13 points! Final quarter resulted in 44:21, with the final score showing 133:120. As mentioned their performance in the last quarter was impressive, but we feel like the Spurs still lack some serious quality and consistency.
Utah Jazz, are in a slightly better position compared to Spurs this season, with an overall record of 13-13, which puts them at 10th spot in the West. Looking at their form in the last 5 games, they have only lost 1 against Miami Heat (102:100), however, they are still in the top 3 teams form-wise in the last 5 games. In their last match, Utah Jazz completely dismantled Houston Rockets in a 27 point win. The match started with a 9 point lead for Utah by the end of the first quarter and they did not let go of the lead for the remainder of the match. Rockets did perform up to par in the 2nd quarter (26:27) but were severely outperformed in the 3rd quarter (38:11). At this point, Utah was already 35 points ahead prior to the last quarter and it had become clear Houston will suffer yet another defeat. Last quarter was in Houston favor as they managed to outscore Jazz by 8 points (27:35), but it was not nearly enough to catch up to the home side. Final score: 118:91.
Spurs as said performed well in their last match, but to be fair the final result looked like it does just because Lakers did not manage to hold on to the lead. Going against Utah Jazz, that will not be the case, as they hold on to the lead once they get it. Comparing Utah Jazz to Spurs, the Jazz comes off as a much more consistent team from what we have seen. These two teams have met each other only 4 days ago, with Utah Jazz coming out on top (139:105), this time, however, they will play at Spurs home court, where Spurs perform better, and it just might give them a slight advantage. However, I do not believe that advantage will be enough against Jazz. Expect Jazz to win their 2nd encounter with Spurs this season.
Prediction: Utah Jazz -3.00
Odds: 1.83 5Dimes, 1.82 Matchbook, 1.80 SBOBET
