We have a possible preview of first-round NBA playoff series when the Utah Jazz (41-23) visit the Oklahoma City Thunder (40-24) on Wednesday night. The Jazz are currently in fourth place in the Western Conference standings, a game ahead of the Thunder. Utah has split their last ten games, while the Thunder have been on a roll, winning three in a row and eight of ten to move past the Houston Rockets in the standings. If the season ended today, Game 1 of this series would be in Salt Lake City. Can the Thunder remain on their roll and move into a tie with the Jazz? Or will Utah cool off Oklahoma City? Check out our sports betting insights on this Western Conference showdown. Let’s see how the NBA odds will be for the Jazz vs Thunder.
Jazz vs Thunder 2020 NBA Game Preview & Betting Odds
- When: Wednesday, March 11, 2020, 8:00 pm ET
- Where: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City
- TV: No National Broadcast
- Radio: 1280 AM The Zone Salt Lake City / WWLS 98.1 FM Oklahoma City
- Live Stream: fuboTV
- NBA Odds: Oklahoma City -2 / Total 218.5
Why should you bet on Utah?
The Utah Jazz had won five games in a row, including a sweep of a four-game road trip, before they came home and lost to the Toronto Raptors on Monday night. Their winning streak had seen them take down Washington at home and then Cleveland, New York, Boston and Detroit on that East Coast swing. Despite the fact that Toronto was missing Marc Gasol (hamstring) and Fred VanVleet (shoulder) to start the game and then lost Norman Powell in the first period to an ankle sprain, the Raptors still came to Salt Lake City and won.
In the loss, the Jazz lost the rebounding battle, 53-34. Joe Ingles led the Jazz with 20 points and dealt out six assists. Royce O’Neale added 15 points and a team-high seven boards, and Mike Conley chipped in 13 points and seven assists. However, the Jazz went cold in the second half of the fourth quarter, scoring just one field goal in the last 5:45 of regulation. The Jazz might have been road-weary after that East Coast trip, but they head out on the road again to face a hot Thunder team.
Why should you put your money on Oklahoma City?
Oklahoma City also swept a recent East Coast swing, taking down Detroit, New York and Boston in succession, beating the Celtics by one on Sunday. The Thunder won that game without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the team’s leading scorer, as the point guard was out with a hip bruise. He remains questionable for Wednesday’s game, so check your latest injury news before you lock in your wagers.
In Gilgeous-Alexander’s absence, Chris Paul put up 28 points and seven assists, and Dennis Schroder had a key strip of Kemba Walker, scoring with 8.5 seconds left to help take down Boston. The key was bench scoring, as the Thunder reserves outscored their Boston counterparts, 41-17. Boston was up by as many as 18 during the second quarter, but then the Thunder went on a 43-23 run that extended into the third and fourth quarters to help keep the Thunder in the game. If you like Oklahoma City, then you see that team play doing the job against a Utah team that can struggle defending against perimeter scorers.
Jazz vs Thunder Final Score Prediction
Oklahoma City has a young roster, even with the venerable Paul onboard, and they may well be peaking at the right time to make some noise in the Western Conference playoffs. The Utah Jazz have also been playing solid basketball, but they have cooled off a bit over the last two or three weeks, while the Thunder have been heating up. Utah has the talent to come in and challenge the Thunder, but I see Oklahoma City making shots and getting stops late and winning, 117-111.
