The Portland Trail Blazers (48-33) and Utah Jazz (48-33) open Western Conference play at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. The game starts at 10:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, April 11, 2018, and will air on ESPN.
The Over/Under (O/U) for the game opened at 201.5 points with Portland set as a 4-point favorite.
Utah Jazz at Portland Trail Blazers Free Prediction
The Jazz will be looking for similar success after blowing out the Golden State Warriors in their last matchup, 119-79. The Jazz, who came into the game averaging an offensive rebounding percentage of 21.3, had a great mark of 28.6 and had an effective field goal percentage of 0.606 (above their season average of 0.528). Utah received a boost from Derrick Favors, who contributed 16 points and nine rebounds.
The last time the Trail Blazers played, they fell to the Denver Nuggets, 88-82. One of Denver’s biggest strengths was getting to the free throw line. They made 26 trips to the line, while Portland went 18 times. With 20 points and 19 rebounds, Portland’s Jusuf Nurkic had a good game.
The offense of Portland will battle against the stingy defense of Utah. The Trail Blazers rank 16th in offensive efficiency, while the Jazz are first in defensive efficiency. The Jazz should have the advantage on that end of the court.
Utah heads into the game with records of 48-33 straight up (SU) and 42-38 against the spread (ATS). Vegas is extremely precise when predicting totals of Jazz games, with an even split between overs and unders.
Meanwhile, Portland is 48-33 SU and 44-30-7 ATS. Of the Trail Blazers’ 81 games, 45 have finished under the projected point total.
Nurkic has averaged 14.4 points, 11.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks over the last five games for Portland.
The Jazz lead the season series against the Trail Blazers two games to one, but dropped their most recent game, a 19-point blowout. Utah covered as a 5-point favorite and the game finished with a total of 181 points, which was 27.5 points below the projected point total of 208.5 points. The Trail Blazers had a much better turnover percentage (11.4 vs. 18.7) and had a better free throw rate (0.149 vs. 0.115). Rudy Gobert was a top player in the game with 15 points and nine rebounds.
Utah Jazz vs. Portland Trail Blazers Betting Pick
Prediction: SU Winner – Jazz, ATS Winner – Jazz, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes:
On the road, Utah is 21-19 ATS with 23 overs, 16 unders and 1 push.
At home, Portland is 22-14-4 ATS with 21 unders and 19 overs.
Portland is 25-7 when they allow less than 100 points, while Utah is 34-7.
In games where they reach the century mark, the Trail Blazers are 43-18 and the Jazz are 39-12.
Utah ranks fourth in steals per game (8.7) while Portland ranks 25th (7.0).
The Trail Blazers rank fifth in second chance points per game (13.6) while the Jazz rank 23rd (11.2).
Utah ranks 12th in points off turnovers per game (16.9) while Portland ranks 29th (14.0).
The Trail Blazers rank third in rebounds per game (45.5) while the Jazz rank 20th (43.1).
Utah averages 5.1 blocks per game, which ranks ninth in the league. Portland ranks 20th in blocks allowed per game (5.1).
The Jazz rank first in fast break points allowed per game (9.7) while the Trail Blazers rank 12th (11.4).
Utah ranks 19th in assists per game (22.5) while Portland ranks 29th (19.5).
The Jazz rank third in three pointers allowed per game (26.0) while the Trail Blazers rank sixth (26.6).
Utah is second in the NBA with 41.8 points allowed in the paint per game while Portland is third with 42.0 points allowed in the paint per game.
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, Utah is 3-2 ATS with 5 overs.
Portland is 2-3 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders over their last five games.
The Jazz’s average margin of victory in their last five games has been 21.6, up from 4.5 for the season.
During their last five games, the Trail Blazers have scored an average of 100.6 points per game (5.1 below their season average) and allowed an average of 102.6 points per game (0.5 below their season average).
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