The Phoenix Suns will travel to Vivint Smart Home Arena to play the Utah Jazz. Action gets underway at 9:00 pm ET on Thursday, Mar. 17 and can be seen on RT and FAZ.
The Jazz enter this game hoping for similar success after topping the Cavaliers 94-85 on Monday. Rodney Hood led all scorers on the team with 28 points on 9-for-16 shooting. The Suns, meanwhile, are coming off a 107-104 win against the Timberwolves on Monday. P.J. Tucker claimed his third double-double of the season with 23 points and 12 rebounds.
Devin Booker has been on a tear over the last five games for the Suns, averaging 25.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 0.6 blocks, and 1.8 three-pointers.
It will be a tale of two tempos, as the fast-paced Suns (ranked fifth in the league in possessions per game) take on the methodical Jazz (30th).
The Jazz have emerged victorious in both games against the Suns this year, including a 98-89 victory in their last matchup. Rudy Gobert put up a double-double in the victory with 13 points and 13 rebounds.
The Jazz have gone 32-35 Straight Up (SU) and 32-34-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 32-35 SU and 32-34-1 ATS against the Western Conference. Expect Utah to have lots of opportunities at the line against the Suns, who lead the league with an average of 23.2 fouls per game.
As for their opponent, the Suns have a record of 27-40 ATS and 18-49 SU. Despite having a winning record against the Western Conference, Phoenix is unsuccessful ATS in those games with a record of 10-23.
With the Jazz’s last win against Phoenix, their SU record is now 6-4 over the Suns in the last 10 games. Furthermore, the Jazz hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-3-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – Uta
Notes
Both Phoenix and Utah rank zeroth in points per game and points allowed per game respectively. Phoenix scores 0.0 points per game, while Utah gives up 0.0.
Phoenix and Utah are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. Phoenix scores an average of 0.0 points on the road, while Utah allows 0.0 points at home on average.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Utah Jazz are a winning 29-11. In games where they fail to hit triple digits, the Phoenix Suns have an underachieving record of 1-30.
Utah is a subpar 3-24 when it allows 100 or more points. Phoenix has a 17-19 record when it hits the century mark.
The Suns have a defensive rating of 108.6 (ranked 29th). The Jazz rank 13th for their offensive rating of 103.9.
Utah averages fewer possessions per game than Phoenix, with 94.3 compared to 100.5. However, the Jazz score an average of 1.039 points per possession, more than the 1.003 that the Suns score.
The Utah Jazz average an effective field goal percentage of 49.7% this season. The Phoenix Suns have an abysmal record of 6-43 when opponents have an EFF% of 49.7% or greater.
On average, the Phoenix Suns make 20.5 assists per game and the Utah Jazz make 18.7. Phoenix is ranked 25th, while Utah is ranked 28th.
The Utah Jazz average 5.2 blocks per game for a rank of 13th. The Phoenix Suns rank lower (27th), earning 3.8 blocks each game.
The Utah Jazz rank ninth in offensive rebounding, while the Phoenix Suns rank 21st in defensive rebounding.
The Utah Jazz average 7.7 steals per game. When giving up 7 or more steals, the Phoenix Suns have a losing record (15-44) this season.
