Utah has picked up two crucial road wins in this series and now just needs to take care of business at home to advance to play against the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference semifinals. The Clippers need to find some offense outside of star guard Chris Paul if it has any hope of pulling this upset and forcing a Game 7.
Los Angeles entered this series as the favorite but is now on the brink of losing in the first round and starting at questions about the core of the group moving forward.
This war on the floor will go down Friday, April 28, 2017, at 10:30 p.m. ET at the Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. The game will be televised live on TNT.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NBA Friday schedule.
NBA Odds
The Jazz were three-point underdogs in Game 5 on the road and +140 on the moneyline, and they paid off in both of them with the 96-92 victory. The scoring total was set at 195.5 points and it didn’t come close to approaching that number, as the “under” was the correct call.
Utah is 54-33 straight up and 41-43-3 against the spread on the season. The Jazz has played in 43 home games on the season, going 20-20-3 against the spread. Utah is 29-26-3 against the spread as the favorite this season.
The Clippers are 53-34 straight up and 40-44-3 against the spread. Los Angeles has covered in 20 of 43 games on the road this season but will need to more than just beat the spread to keep the series alive. The Clippers have covered in half of their 24 games as the underdog on the season.
Last Time Out
Game 5 stayed tight until the final minutes at the Staples Center Tuesday with the Jazz fending off late runs by the Clippers to hang on for the win. Gordon Hayward led the effort for Utah, finishing with a team-high 27 points and Rodney Hood added 16 points off the bench.
The Jazz had a slight lead at halftime and began to pull away at the start of the fourth quarter before Chris Paul and the Clippers came roaring back, making it a two-point game with a little more than three minutes to go. The Jazz played well in the final minutes to snag the victory and take a one-game series lead as they head back home.
Both teams struggled offensively Tuesday, with the Clippers shooting 42 percent from the floor and the Jazz finishing just a tick better at 43.2 percent. Paul finished with 28 points for the Clippers and JJ Redick had 26 points.
Player to Watch
Paul - The Clippers point guard continues to lead the way for Los Angeles, and despite the loss on Tuesday, he came up clutch yet again. It was Paul’s smooth shooting that kept the Clippers in the game in the final minutes of the fourth quarter and they’ll need another big performance from their star guard Saturday, especially on the road.
Paul is averaging 27 points a game in this series including a high of 34 points in Game 3. With Griffin out, a strong performance from Paul is even more important.
Free NBA ATS Pick
These teams were pretty even talent-wise when fully healthy, but the series has been marred by injuries. Gobert missed the first three games and Hayward missed the majority of one because of food poisoning.
However, they will both be available for this one while Los Angeles is without Griffin for the rest of the playoffs. At this point Utah is the better team and will have the benefit of the home court advantage.
The Jazz should be a solid favorite and will pull away in the final minutes to win this game and cover the spread. Utah will move on to the second round of the postseason with this Game 6 victory.
NBA Odds: Jazz 103, Clippers 93
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
