To this point, the Utah Jazz have had a very nice season, but have hit a bit of a bump in the road, dropping three heading into Tuesday’s game against the beast of the east in Cleveland. Utah will get a chance to get back on its feet at home on Friday when it takes on the Detroit Pistons. While the Pistons are below-.500, they have been very hot-and-cold this season and have been able to play tough against some of the better teams in the league.
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Odds Analysis
Detroit has been a spotty team this season and their ATS record reflects that. Sitting at 18-21 both SU and ATS, the season has averaged out as mediocre both for the players on the hardwood and its bettors.
Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen this team cover against Cleveland and Golden State, yet they’re still just 4-8 ATS in their last 12 games.
Of course, their opponents on Friday night haven’t been much more reliable of late. The Jazzmen are seven games over .500 overall, but have dropped three of four and six of their last 11 games. Utah’s also been a bit more disappointing overall to bettors with a 18-20-1 mark ATS. A lot of those losses ATS have been added recently as Utah is just 2-9 ATS in its last 11 games.
Player to Watch
The Pistons are a difficult team to play because despite a lackluster record, they’ve beaten Cleveland and held Golden State close.
Reggie Jackson and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope make up a strong backcourt while Tobias Harris is a key performer inside when Detroit has a good game. Still, the team’s biggest strength comes from the big man at center: Andre Drummond.
Drummond is averaging a double-double with 14.9 PPG and 13.5 RPG. Rebounding is a strength of this team and has helped lead to a very strong 100.3 PPG allowed, ranking fourth in the NBA.
Drummond, however, isn’t the player to keep your eyes on. Instead, it’s his counterpart with the Jazz: Rudy Gobert.
Gobert is somewhat quietly making a name for himself. He’s got a couple inches on Drummond and is averaging 12.3 PPG, 12.2 RPG and 2.6 BPG. Drummond still has the edge in points and rebounds, but is averaging one and a half fewer blocks per game than Utah’s center who has really come into his own this year.
Inside the paint, the Pistons have been able to take advantage of Drummond who has been a key performer in some of their more surprising wins in games where they were matched up against some of the better teams in the NBA. Utah, however, has a weapon to neutralize that advantage.
Scheduling Situation
Both teams enter play after taking on one of last season’s NBA Finals teams as the Jazz face Cleveland on Tuesday night and the Pistons match up against the Warriors on Thursday.
The schedule, however, is much rougher for Detroit who will have to meet Golden State in Oakland on Thursday and then immediately hop on a plane to Utah for a late night tip-off against the Jazz the following night. Detroit is 2-5 both SU and ATS this season without a day off. They’re also 8-12 SU and ATS on the road.
Meanwhile, the Jazz will have a couple days of rest after facing the Cavaliers and before hosting the Pistons. Those days off will also be travel free as their game against Cleveland is also at home. Utah is 5-1 SU and 3-3 ATS when given more than one day of rest before a game.
Free NBA ATS Picks
The Pistons have unseated some very good teams and don’t look now, but Utah is a very good team. Of course, this game is being playing in Salt Lake City and that’s a bit of a different story.
Utah is healthy and man does this team have depth upon depth upon depth. While the Jazz have lost to some random teams, look for them to enjoy having a full roster of healthy players at their disposal to keep the team fresh.
Meanwhile, Detroit is playing on the road where they’ve struggled to produce. The Pistons are also set to match up against a defense ranked first on PPG allowed and field goal percentage allowed. Detroit is 16-6 when scoring at least 100, but can they hit triple digits against the Jazz?
Look for Utah to keep Detroit’s offense at bay and win this one, getting back on track with a return home.
NBA Odds: Jazz 99, Pistons 96
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