A 10-game home winning streak hangs in the balance for the Golden State Warriors (54-13) when they match up with the Utah Jazz (31-37). The game gets underway at 10:30 pm ET on Saturday, Mar. 21 and will air on ROOT-NW and CSN-BA.
The Warriors won big over the Hawks 114-95 on Wednesday. Andre Iguodala had a good game, contributing 21 points, six assists, and three steals for the Warriors. The Jazz, meanwhile, are coming off an 80-73 win over the Lakers on Thursday. Gordon Hayward led the game in scoring with 22 points on 5-for-10 shooting.
Over the last five games, Hayward has been on fire for the Jazz. During that stretch, he has averaged 21.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 1.6 three-pointers.
This game should be a matchup of contrasting styles. The Warriors (ranked first in the league in possessions per game) prefer a fast-breaking style of play, while the Jazz (30th) are more half-court-oriented.
The Warriors have won two out of three against the Jazz this season, but dropped their most recent game, 110-100. Despite the loss, Stephen Curry was the game’s leading scorer with 32 points.
Oddsmakers have deemed this game an even matchup and the Over/Under (O/U) is presently unavailable. The Warriors are attempting to build on their records of 54-13 Straight Up (SU) and 38-28-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 31-8 SU and 25-14 ATS versus the Western Conference. The Warriors are an impressive shooting team with an NBA-best .478 field-goal percentage. The Warriors, sporting the second-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the NBA (1.9), have proven themselves to be an extremely efficient offensive team. Turning to the defensive end, the offenses have been stifled by the Warriors, allowing an NBA-low field goal percentage of only .425. The Warriors are second in the league in steals with 9.5 per game. Something to watch out for is if Golden State can force its opponents into turnovers and convert them into baskets. They’ve done an excellent job of that all year with an average of 19.9 points off turnovers per game.
On the other side, Utah has a SU record of 31-37 and an ATS record of 38-29-1. Although they haven’t done very well in road games against Western Conference foes (6-13), Utah does sport a nice 11-7-1 record ATS. Utah’s defense has allowed an average of 82.3 points per game during the last 10 games, lower than their season average of 94.7.
Following the Jazz’s latest win over Golden State, Utah is still behind in the head-to-head record over the past 10 meetings, 3-7 SU. At 5-5, they are even bets ATS. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, Golden State and Utah each held the edge in all three of these categories twice in the last 10 meetings.
Predictions: SU Winner – GS, ATS Winner – GS
Notes
Utah ranks 27th in points per game with 94.7, while Golden State ranks 14th in points allowed with an average of 99.5 given up.
Utah ranks 27th in points per away game with 93.5 points, while Golden State ranks 14th in points allowed at home with 98.2.
When Golden State gives up fewer than 100 points, the team has a perfect 35-0 record. In games where it puts up fewer than 100 points, Utah has a losing 16-29 record.
When the Golden State Warriors allow at least 100 points they are 19-13, while the Utah Jazz are 15-8 when they register triple digits.
The Warriors have the third-best offensive rating in the NBA (108.1). The Jazz are also in the top half of the league based on their defensive rating of 102.5 (ranked 15th).
The Golden State Warriors average 101.5 possessions and 1.081 points per possession in games this season. The Utah Jazz average fewer possessions with 92.4, as well as fewer points per possession with 1.025.
The Golden State Warriors have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking first in the league with an EFF% of 53.9%. When their opponents record a similar or higher EFF%, the Utah Jazz have a subpar 1-15 record.
On average, the Golden State Warriors attempt 27.2 three point field goals per game and the Utah Jazz attempt 21.1 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 threes, Golden State has a fantastic 39-9 record, while Utah is 10-8.
Among all teams, Golden State is the best at blocking, registering an average of 6.2 per game. Utah ranks slightly lower in total blocks, at fourth (6.0 per game).
The Golden State Warriors rank 23rd in offensive rebounding, while the Utah Jazz rank 18th in defensive rebounding.
The Golden State Warriors earn an average of 9.5 steals per game and are ranked second. The Utah Jazz have a 10-15 record when they allow at least 9 steals.
