The New Orleans Pelicans are making a last-ditch effort to push for the playoffs, but the margin for error is razor thin. They need to pull some upsets down the stretch and a big one would come against the Utah Jazz.
New Orleans must hit the road for this game and it will be the underdog. The Pelicans have won three straight games as DeMarcus Cousins is starting to jell with his new team, but the Jazz have the better record and the home court advantage.
The Pelicans have a lot of work to do to make the postseason and this game is imperative. Utah will aim to hold court to improve its playoff positioning.
This war on the floor will go down Monday, March 27, 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 available for this and every game on the NBA Monday schedule.
Odds Analysis
Utah is 43-28 straight up and 32-37-2 against the spread. The Jazz is 16-17-2 against the spread at home this season. Utah has played in 50 games as the favorite on the year and has gone 24-24-2. The Jazz will be giving points again in this one.
New Orleans is 30-41 straight up and 35-34-2 against the spread. The Pelicans are 15-17-2 against the spread on the road this season. New Orleans have gone 23-22-2 attempting to cover as the underdog.
Key Stat
96.5. That’s how many points per game opponents are averaging against this stout Utah defense this year. The Jazz rank No. 1 in the nation for points allowed this season.
Utah held New Orleans below its season average in both previous meetings this year and forced a combined 33 turnovers from the Pelicans in those matchups. Behind that solid defense, Utah sits in fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings.
The Jazz average a total of 34 defensive rebounds a game. Center Rudy Gobert averages a team-high 12.8 rebounds per game and he has a big task in this one against Cousins and Anthony Davis.
Previous Meetings
Utah is 2-0 against New Orleans this season and will try for its third straight win against the Pelicans on Monday. The first matchup between these two teams was a blowout with the Jazz winning 127-94 on the road on February 8th behind Joe Johnson’s 27 points.
The latest meeting was much closer with Utah winning 88-83 on March 6th. Gordon Hayward finished with a team-high 23 points for the Jazz in that game earlier this month while Anthony Davis led the Pelicans with 20 points.
The Jazz have the edge defensively, but the Pelicans have the more high-powered offense on paper. New Orleans is averaging 103.5 points per game this year compared to 100.3 for the Jazz.
Free NBA ATS Pick
The Pelicans have played better of late and would love to be turning the corner, but the playoffs seem too far-fetched this year. The duo of Cousins and Davis has plenty of potential but it takes some time to find their roles.
New Orleans should be able to keep this one close but Utah is too tough. Expect a low-scoring affair since the Jazz play well defensively and the Pelicans will be forced to slow down and play half-court ball.
Hayward should be able to have a big game since New Orleans doesn’t have a ton of talent on the wings. The Jazz are trying to hold on to the No. 4 seed in the East and this is a critical game to hold off some hard-charging teams.
Choose the Jazz to win but the Pelicans to cover, with the “under” a solid play if the scoring total comes in where expected.
NBA Odds: Jazz 98, Pelicans 95
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