Pick against the spread, best player prop for Jazz vs. Raptors on Friday

The league-leading Utah Jazz (29-11), fresh off a 122-131 road loss to the Washington Wizards (15-25), head to Florida to take on the Toronto Raptors (17-23) tonight in hopes of getting back to their winning ways. Utah’s form has slipped a little recently, losing five of their last eight contests after coming out with a hot start to the season, boasting a 26-6 record through their first 31 games. The Raptors are coming into tonight’s match-up riding a six-game losing streak, their last win coming on February 26th when they took down the Rockets 122-111. Fred VanVleet just made his return earlier this week against the Pistons after missing a couple weeks due to COVID-19.

Jazz vs. Raptors, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass

Pick ATS: Jazz -4

The Jazz have seen their fair share of ups and downs recently, but when they’re having a good night, they’re virtually unstoppable. Last night’s game against the Wizards saw Joe Ingles record a career-high 34 points while Donovan Mitchell dropped 42. On any other night that may have been enough to get the win, but the Wizards had answers of their own while Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook decided to literally one-up Mitchell and Ingles by scoring 43 and 35, respectively. Jordan Clarkson only ended up with seven points on the night — the first time he’s failed to score double digits since January 1 when he scored nine against the Clippers. If Mitchell, Clarkson, and Gobert put up their usual numbers tonight in Tampa, there’s no reason they won’t be able to cover the spread on this one.

Player Prop: Kyle Lowry O2.5 three-pointers (-113)

With only a few props to pick from, Kyle Lowry may be the safest bet as Fred VanVleet has admitted he struggled with COVID-19 symptoms, so who knows if that could still be affecting his game as he makes his return. Lowry didn’t bank a single three on Wednesday night against the Pistons, and he only hit two last Sunday against the Bulls. Prior to that, though, he hit at least three from beyond the arc for seven games in a row. A couple off-nights won’t change the fact that it’s a relatively safe bet, and regardless of the game’s out come he could easily go for at least three on the night.

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