The Utah Jazz (39-39) will be at home when they play the Los Angeles Clippers (50-28). Action gets underway at 9:00 pm ET on Friday, Apr. 8 and can be seen on RT and PRI.
The Jazz are expecting a different result after their 88-86 loss to the Spurs on Tuesday. Rodney Hood finished with 23 points to lead the game. The Clippers, meanwhile, are coming off a 91-81 win against the Lakers on Wednesday. DeAndre Jordan had a big game and claimed his 48th double-double of the season, recording 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Over the last five games, Hood has taken his game to another level for the Jazz, averaging 21.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.0 steal, 0.6 blocks, and 3.8 three-pointers. On the other side, the Clippers have been led by Chris Paul. He has been on fire, averaging 21.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 11.0 assists, 1.0 steal, and 1.2 three-pointers in the same time frame.
Utah could own the offensive glass in this matchup, as they rank third in the NBA in offensive rebound percentage at 26.3%. Conversely, the Clippers are 28th in the league on the defensive backboards with a defensive rebound percentage of 73.7%.
The two teams have split their matchups this season. The Clippers had the upper hand in the most recent game, a 109-104 win. Despite the loss, Gordon Hayward was the game’s leading scorer with 28 points.
The Jazz look to improve upon their records of 39-39 Straight Up (SU) and 40-37-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 39-39 SU and 40-37-1 ATS against teams from the Western Conference.
Over on the other bench, Los Angeles has a SU record of 50-28 and an ATS record of 37-39-2. Los Angeles performed well ATS during its last 10 games, earning a 7-3 record. The Clippers will be looking to pick it up in this one after recent offensive struggles. In their most recent 10 games, Los Angeles’s scoring has dropped to 95.6 PPG, compared to 97.7 for the duration of the season. The Clippers are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking third in the NBA at 1.83. The Clippers average 100.4 points allowed per game, but have improved upon those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 89.8 points per game during that span. The Clippers have one of the best opponent field-goal percentages in the league at .434.
The Clippers’ win over Utah in their last clash moved their SU record in the last 10 against Utah to 9-1. However, the Jazz hold the advantage ATS with a record of 5-4-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – LAC
Notes
Los Angeles averages 104.5 points per game (ranked seventh). However, Utah has allowed an average of just 95.8 points per game (ranked second).
Los Angeles puts up 104.2 points per away game, ranking sixth in the league. Utah gives up just 92.6 points per home game (ranked second).
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Clippers are 37-3 on the season. When the Jazz score fewer than 100, they are a losing 19-31.
The Los Angeles Clippers have a poor 13-25 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Utah Jazz are 20-8 when they hit the century mark.
The Jazz have a defensive rating of 102.2 (ranked ninth), while the Clippers rank sixth for their offensive rating of 107.1.
The Los Angeles Clippers have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking seventh in the league with a FG% of 46.4%. When their opponents record a similar or higher FG%, the Utah Jazz have an abysmal 6-27 record.
On average, the Utah Jazz attempt 23.0 three point field goals per game and the Los Angeles Clippers attempt 26.0 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 threes, Utah has a 17-16 record and Los Angeles has a 29-20 record.
The third-ranked team, Los Angeles has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.83 this season. Utah ranks lower at 29th with an A/TO of 1.32.
The Jazz rank 18th in rebounds per game with 43.2, while the Clippers rank 24th with 42.1 per game.
The Los Angeles Clippers rank 29th in offensive rebounding, while the Utah Jazz rank 23rd in defensive rebounding.
Los Angeles is among the best in forcing turnovers, with opponents averaging a TOV% of 15.0% (ranked 10th). Utah has a 23-20 record SU when its TOV% reaches 15.0% or greater.
