The Utah Jazz welcome the Los Angeles Clippers to Vivint Smart Home Arena. Action begins at 9:00 pm ET on Saturday, Dec. 26 and can be seen on RT and PRI.
The Jazz are expecting a better outcome after their 103-85 loss to the Warriors on Wednesday. Rodney Hood had a solid performance, putting up 15 points, four rebounds, and three assists for Utah. The Clippers, meanwhile, are coming off a 94-84 win against the Lakers on Friday. Chris Paul was the game’s top scorer, registering 23 points on 11-for-19 shooting.
Paul has been hot over the last five games for the Clippers, averaging 23.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 8.8 assists, 3.4 steals, and 2.2 three-pointers.
The Jazz could dominate the offensive glass in this matchup, as they’re ranked third in the league in offensive rebound percentage at 26.8%. Alternatively, Los Angeles ranks 27th in the NBA on the defensive backboards with a defensive rebound percentage of 74.0%. Also, the offense of the Clippers seems ready to earn plenty of trips to the line. They rank second in the NBA in free throw attempt rate (33.9), while the Jazz are among the league’s most foul-happy teams (allowing a 29th-ranked mark of 31.8).
This is the second game of the year between these two teams, with the Jazz winning the first matchup 102-91. Blake Griffin finished with 40 points and 12 rebounds.
The odds for the Jazz and Clippers are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at 198 points. The Jazz have gone 12-15 Straight Up (SU) and 15-11-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 6-10 SU and 8-8 ATS against the Western Conference.
In the other locker room, the Clippers have a record of 10-17-2 ATS and 16-13 SU. Against the Western Conference, Los Angeles is 10-10 SU and 7-12-1 ATS. The Clippers are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking fifth in the NBA at 1.74.
Utah beat Los Angeles in their most recent meeting this season, but the win was not enough to overtake Los Angeles in the recent head-to-head series. Its record is now 1-9 SU over the most recent 10 meetings. On the other hand, the Jazz hold the advantage ATS with a record of 5-4-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – LAC, ATS Winner – LAC, O/U – Under
Notes
Utah is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Utah’s last 8 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Utah’s last 5 games at home.
Utah is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home.
Utah is 1-13 SU in their last 14 games when playing LA Clippers.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Utah’s last 8 games when playing LA Clippers.
Utah is 0-5 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against LA Clippers.
Utah is 16-6 SU in their last 22 games when playing at home against LA Clippers.
Utah is 13-2-2 ATS in their last 17 games when playing at home against LA Clippers.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Utah’s last 6 games when playing at home against LA Clippers.
LA Clippers are 5-0 SU in their last 5 games when playing on the road against Utah.
Utah ranks 24th in points per game with 97.0, while Los Angeles ranks 16th in points allowed with an average of 100.6 given up.
Utah ranks 25th in points per home game with 98.5 points, while Los Angeles ranks 19th in points allowed on the road with 102.9.
In its last game, Utah lost by an 18-point margin. Los Angeles is 1-0 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Utah has a 4-3 record in blowouts.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Los Angeles Clippers are a superb 11-2. In games where they score fewer than 100 points, the Utah Jazz have a poor record of 7-12.
The Los Angeles Clippers have an underachieving 6-11 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Utah Jazz are 5-3 when they hit the century mark.
The Jazz have a defensive rating of 103.9 (ranked 18th), while the Clippers rank sixth for their offensive rating of 104.0.
The Los Angeles Clippers have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking seventh in the league with a FG% of 45.6%. When their opponents record a similar or higher FG%, the Utah Jazz have a subpar 2-11 record.
The Utah Jazz average 21.0 three point attempts per game, while the Los Angeles Clippers attempt 23.0 per game. When attempting 25 or more three pointers in a game, Utah is 3-4, while Los Angeles has a split 6-6 record.
The fifth-ranked team, Los Angeles has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.74 this season. Utah ranks lower at 28th with an A/TO of 1.28.
The Jazz rank 24th in rebounds per game with 42.4, while the Clippers rank 22nd with 42.6 per game.
The Los Angeles Clippers rank 23rd in offensive rebounding, while the Utah Jazz rank 28th in defensive rebounding.
The Utah Jazz’s opponents have had an average turnover percentage of 15.2% this season. The Los Angeles Clippers have a winning 5-2 record when their TOV% is 15.2% or higher.
