In a matchup between the two teams with the best records in the Northwest Division, the Oklahoma City Thunder (8-6) travel to play the Utah Jazz (6-6) at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The game starts at 9:00 pm ET on Monday, Nov. 23 and will air on RT and FxK.
The Jazz lost to the Mavericks 102-93 on Friday. Gordon Hayward finished with 22 points to lead the team. The Thunder, meanwhile, are coming off a 117-114 win over that same Mavericks squad on Sunday. Russell Westbrook played well, accumulating 31 points and 11 assists to claim his 10th double-double of the season.
Westbrook has been on fire over the last five games for the Thunder, averaging 35.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 9.0 assists, 3.2 steals, 1.0 block, and 2.2 three-pointers.
It will be a tale of two tempos, as the fast-breaking Thunder (ranked fifth in the league in possessions per game) take on the slow-paced Jazz (30th).
The Jazz are looking to improve on their records of 6-6 Straight Up (SU) and 7-4-1 Against The Spread (ATS).
Across the court, the Thunder head into the game with records of 5-9 ATS and 8-6 SU. Oklahoma City has been particularly bad ATS over its past 10 matchups, going 3-7. The Thunder are a force on the boards, grabbing a league-best 48.2 rebounds per game. Switching gears to Oklahoma City’s defense, it averages 7.1 blocks per game, good for second in the league.
This is the first meeting of the season for the division rivals. The last time they played Utah came out on top, but the Thunder still lead the head-to-head record over the last 10, 7-3 SU. The teams have an even record ATS, 5-5.
Predictions: SU Winner – OKC
Notes
Utah is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Utah’s last 12 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Utah’s last 6 games at home.
Utah is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games at home.
Utah is 5-13 SU in its last 18 games when playing Oklahoma City.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Utah’s last 5 games when playing Oklahoma City.
Utah is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Oklahoma City.
Oklahoma City is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Utah.
Utah scores an average of 95.1 points per game (ranked 28th), while Oklahoma City gives up 105.2 points per game (ranked 25th).
Oklahoma City ranks second in points allowed per road game (114.6 PPG), while Utah ranks 29th in points per home game with 91.3.
The Oklahoma City Thunder won their last game by a three-point margin. In games decided by a margin of three points or less, the Utah Jazz are 1-1. Oklahoma City is 2-1 in close games this season.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have a winning 2-1 record when their opponents score fewer than 100 points this season. The Utah Jazz are 6-5 when they score less than 100.
When allowing 100 or more points, Oklahoma City has a 6-5 record this season. Utah, on the other hand, is winless (0-1) when hitting triple digits.
The Thunder have the second-best offensive rating in the NBA (107.8). The Jazz are also in the top half of the league based on their defensive rating of 98.4 (ranked sixth).
The Oklahoma City Thunder have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking third in the league with a FG% of 46.6%. When their opponents record a similar or higher FG%, the Utah Jazz have a losing 1-4 record.
On average, the Utah Jazz attempt 20.0 three point field goals per game and the Oklahoma City Thunder attempt 22.0 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 threes, Utah has a split 1-1 record, while Oklahoma City is 3-2.
The Utah Jazz rank 26th with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.27. The Oklahoma City Thunder have a higher A/TO (1.32), ranking 24th.
The Thunder earn a league-high 48.2 rebounds per game, while the Jazz rank 21st with 43.1 per game.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are the top offensive rebounding team in the league, while the Utah Jazz rank 28th in defensive rebounding.
Utah is one of the top teams in forced turnovers, with opponents averaging a TOV% of 16.4% (ranked fifth). Oklahoma City has a poor record of 2-4 SU this season when its TOV% reaches 16.4% or greater.
