On Thursday, the Utah Jazz head to Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder in NBA action. The Jazz (34-36) are in third place in the Northwest Division. They just knocked off the Bucks in Milwaukee, 94-85, on Sunday night. They take on the Rockets in Houston on Wednesday night before heading back up to Oklahoma City. The Thunder (49-22) are in first place in the Northwest Division and just beat Houston on Tuesday night, 111- 107, at home. Be sure to check out for more betting lines for NBA by clicking here.
Utah at Oklahoma City Pro Hoops Spread and Game Info
When: Thursday, March 24, 2016, 8:00 PM ET
Where: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, OK
TV: ROOT, FSOK
Radio: Utah / Oklahoma CityLive Stream: NBA.comNBA Odds: -9
Why Should You Bet on the Thunder?
Obviously, the travel schedule is on the Thunder’s side, as they have been at home all week, while Utah faces a track-meet team in Houston the night before. Also, the dynamic duo of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant are continuing to put video-game type statistics up on the board. Russell Westbrook had his 15th triple-double on the season (21 points, 15 assists, 13 rebounds) in the Thunder’s defeat of the Rockets. They played just enough defense to win. Westbrook has three straight triple-doubles now, and his distribution was key for the Thunder win. The Jazz don’t have enough of a defense to have much of a chance to limit that distribution on Thursday.
Why Should You Put Your Money on Utah?
Don’t look now, but the Jazz have won five of six and are just a game back of Dallas for the eighth playoff position in the West. Given that Dallas has games in Portland and Golden State this week, the Jazz should be very optimistic about taking the Mavericks’ playoff slot away. Gordon Hayward has been leading the way lately; against Milwaukee, he scored 18 (13 during the crucial third period). Shelvin Mack led the effort on defense, but he also posted 13 points and 12 assists. Few teams get more out of their synergy than the Jazz do, and they could easily cover if the Thunder aren’t getting stops late.
Expert Betting Pick and Final Score Prediction
I like the Thunder to knock off the Jazz at home and continue their march toward contending deep into the West playoffs. I’m picking Oklahoma City to win, 120-108.
