The Utah Jazz don’t get nearly the amount of headlines as many of its mates in the Western Conference, but here they sit with the No. 4 seed as the regular season winds down. The Jazz will aim to hold off the other teams pushing for home court advantage in the first round and has a good opportunity to pick up an easy win against the Utah Jazz.
The Knicks have struggled all season and don’t play well on the road so it would not be a surprise if they fell in this one by double-digits. Utah should be a heavy favorite and while it may be going under the radar for the most part this season, this is a game that could pay off for gamblers.
This war on the floor will go down Wednesday, March 22, 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 ESPN.
We'll have NBA odds available for this and every game on the NBA Wednesday schedule.
Odds Analysis
The Jazz are 43-27 straight up and 32-36-2 against the spread. Utah has played in 35 home games this season and has gone 16-17-2 against the spread in those contests. The Jazz are 24-23-2 against the spread as the favorite on the season.
The Knicks are 27-42 straight up and 35-34 against the spread. New York has been in 35 road games on the season and has covered in 16 of them. The Knicks are 24-22 against the spread as the underdog and will aim to spring this upset.
Key Stat
13. That’s the number of losses by the Knicks in their past 18 games, as they have fallen out of playoff contention. New York had some good games early in the year as they tried to build around the nucleus of Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis with veterans like Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, but it never came all together.
There has been plenty of controversy this season and now this group is simply playing out the string. There should be changes heading into next season as the Knicks need to rebuild with a younger group.
It remains to be seen how much motivation the older players have for New York as they know the team is headed for the lottery.
Player to Watch
Rudy Gobert -- The Jazz center has really blossomed this season, his third in the NBA. Gobert is averaging 13.2 points per game but more importantly is hauling down 12.8 rebounds and blocking 2.5 shots per game. Gobert is shooting 65.1 percent from the field as he is a force to be reckoned with down low.
Utah doesn’t run a bunch of its offense through Gobert but he knows how to get involved and has been a vital piece on both ends of the court. Gobert had five blocks last time out against the Bulls and is coming off a recent game against the Cavaliers in which he totaled 20 points and 19 rebounds.
He is quietly becoming one of the better big men in the NBA, and will aim to showcase his skills to a nationally televised audience in this one.
Free NBA ATS Pick
The Jazz don’t have any superstars and they aren’t in a big media market, so they don’t get much attention. While Utah isn’t among the projected contenders in the West, they are a solid team in the next tier.
The Jazz would love to win a first-round playoff series, and getting home court advantage would be a big help in that journey. They should be able to pad their win total with an easy victory over the Knicks in this one. The spread could be pretty big but Utah may still cover.
NBA Odds: Jazz 111, Knicks 98
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