Don’t expect a high-scoring game when the Utah Jazz (15-18) head to San Antonio to play the Spurs (30-6). The game starts at 8:30 pm ET on Wednesday, Jan. 6 and will air on RT and FSW.
The Spurs won big over the Bucks 123-98 on Monday. Kawhi Leonard led all scorers on the team with 24 points on 9-for-12 shooting. The Jazz, meanwhile, are coming off a bitter 93-91 loss to the Rockets on Monday. Rodney Hood had a good shooting night, leading the team with 23 points.
Half-court execution will be at a premium as the Spurs rank 28th in the league in possessions per game (95.0), while the Jazz are 29th (93.9). Moreover, the Jazz are among the NBA’s elite on the offensive backboards, ranking third in offensive rebound percentage at 27.2%. But the Spurs rank first at corralling defensive rebounds with a defensive rebound percentage of 80.6%.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Spurs won the first game 118-81. Leonard scored a game-high 22 points.
The Spurs are a heavy 15-point favorite at home and the Over/Under (O/U) for this matchup is set at 186 points. The Spurs enter the game with records of 30-6 Straight Up (SU) and 25-11 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 8-2 ATS over their last 10 games. The Spurs have the top-ranked offense in terms of FG%, shooting .489 from the floor. The Spurs, sporting the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the NBA (1.89), have proven themselves to be an extremely efficient offensive team. Transitioning to the San Antonio defense, teams routinely struggle to score points against the Spurs, who allow a league-low 89.2 points per game. Teams have to fight for open shots against the Spurs, who have one of the best opponent field-goal percentages in the league at .426.
On the other side, the Jazz head into the game with records of 18-14-1 ATS and 15-18 SU. In Western Conference games, Utah has gone 8-13 SU and 11-10 ATS.
With the Spurs’ last win against Utah, their SU record rises to 7-3 over the Jazz in the last 10 meetings. However, the Jazz lead the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4.
Predictions: SU Winner – SA, ATS Winner – SA, O/U – Under
Notes
San Antonio is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 7 of San Antonio’s last 10 games at home.
San Antonio is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Antonio’s last 6 games when playing Utah.
San Antonio is 18-4 SU in its last 22 games when playing Utah.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Antonio’s last 6 games when playing at home against Utah.
San Antonio is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Utah.
Utah is 2-7-1 ATS in its last 10 games when playing on the road against San Antonio.
San Antonio ranks eighth in the league with 104.8 points per home game. Utah allows just 97.1 points per away game (ranked fourth).
The San Antonio Spurs won their last game by 25 points. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, the Utah Jazz are 4-3. San Antonio is 15-0 in blowouts this season.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the San Antonio Spurs are a superb 26-3. In games where they fail to hit triple digits, the Utah Jazz have a poor record of 9-14.
The San Antonio Spurs have a 4-3 record when their opponents score at least 100 points. The Utah Jazz have a 6-4 record when they register triple digits.
The Jazz have a defensive rating of 103.7 (ranked 17th). The Spurs rank third for their offensive rating of 108.5.
On average, San Antonio has 95.0 possessions per game and scores 1.085 points on each possession. Utah has both fewer possessions (93.9) and scores fewer points during those possessions (1.029).
San Antonio is among the top-ranked teams based on its average effective field goal percentage of 53.3% (ranked second in the NBA). Utah is an abysmal 3-9 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
San Antonio, the second-ranked team in terms of assists, makes an average of 25.4 per game. Utah ranks lower at 30th with 17.7.
The San Antonio Spurs average 5.8 blocks per game for a rank of sixth. The Utah Jazz rank lower (15th), earning 4.9 blocks each game.
San Antonio is ranked 23rd in offensive rebounding. Utah ranks 28th in defensive rebounds.
The San Antonio Spurs earn an average of 8.5 steals per game and are ranked ninth. The Utah Jazz have an 11-10 record when they allow at least 8 steals.
