Pick against the spread, best player prop for Trail Blazers vs. Jazz on Wednesday

The league-leading Utah Jazz (50-19) will look to further the gap at the top of the standings as they play host to the Portland Trail Blazers (40-29), who will hope to extend their winning streak to five games as they look to keep their fifth-place seed for the playoffs. The Blazers are 8-2 in their last 10 and have been playing some fantastic basketball, but they’re five games behind the fourth-place Nuggets, so fourth place is out of the question. The Mavs (tied on games) and Lakers (1 GB) are hot on their trail, so a win is essential for Portland if they want to stay in the running for an automatic playoff spot.

Trail Blazers vs. Jazz, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

Pick ATS: Jazz -1

Utah will again be without Donovan Mitchell (ankle), who is set to be out for the rest of the regular season as he hasn’t played a game since April 16. He’ll be reassessed before the playoffs in hopes that he’ll be able to return to the floor by the time the first round starts on May 22. The Jazz have gone 8-5 in Mitchell’s absence, most recently dropping a 116-119 result to the Golden State Warriors on Monday. They’ll also be without Mike Conley (hamstring), who has already missed the last eight games with his hamstring tightness issue. He hasn’t been ruled out for the rest of the season, but with only three games left and a top 2 seed secured, the Jazz could just decide to keep him out until the playoffs in hopes he’ll be fresh and ready to go by the first round.

The Blazers have been in great form lately as Damian Lillard has dropped 30-plus points in his last five games straight, while adding impressive numbers in the rebounds and assists columns. He put up 34 points, nine rebounds, and six assists in the Blazers’ comprehensive 140-129 win over the Rockets on Monday, while both C.J. McCollum and Norman Powell added 28 points each.

Still, Utah will look to bounce back from the loss on Monday, and they’ve only lost four games at home all season long, so all signs point to the Jazz edging out the visitors in this one.

Player Prop: Bojan Bogdanovic O2.5 three-pointers (-167)

The Jazz have proven to be lethal from downtown all season long, while Bogdanovic often leads the way. He went 4-for-9 from beyond the arc against the Warriors on Monday, while recently turning in 8-for-11 in their 127-120 win over the Nuggets last week. He’s been in fantastic form and hasn’t scored less than 20 points since April 26, so consider this player prop a relatively safe bet.

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