It’s a battle of the Western Conference on Monday night as the Utah Jazz travel down from the mountains to face the Golden State Warriors. Can the Dubs take care of business as they look to get their season on track? Or will this tanking Jazz team pull off another upset?
The Warriors are 14.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook. They’re priced at -1000 on the Moneyline, while the Jazz are +650 underdogs. The total for this game is set at 239.5 points. Let’s get into my preview, prediction, and pick for this Jazz vs. Warriors game.
Jazz vs. Warriors prediction, preview
It’s been a grueling start to the season for the Warriors. They’ve weathered a storm of back-to-backs with some bumps and bruises to Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green. Those bumps are catching up once again tonight as Green is out. But the Western Conference feels weaker than expected with a few teams unexpectedly bottoming out. At 9-9, Golden State is squarely in the early race for a playoff spot.
At 5-11, the Jazz are better than expected, but still on a collision course with the draft lottery. They may finally get what they wanted, which is internal development. Keyonte George has taken a step, Ace Bailey has grown from the player we saw at Rutgers, and Lauri Markkanen is back to All-Star form. The future in Utah certainly looks brighter now than it did a year ago.
This game comes down to the offenses. Utah and Golden State are 22nd and 23rd in offensive rating, respectively, according to Cleaning the Glass. If Utah can get it done against a Warriors defense without its best defender, they have a puncher’s chance. If Golden State can get Steph Curry loose against a young Jazz team trying to establish an identity, they can walk out with a winning record.
Jazz vs. Warriors pick, best bet
One thing that has bitten the Warriors in the past few seasons is playing against inferior teams. They tend to play down to the level of their competition, and it’s cost them more than a handful of very winnable games. I’m always of a mind to think that if Golden State is playing a worse team that has more athleticism and size, the Warriors are liable to drop it. That makes Utah a great value at their long-shot odds on the Moneyline as a scrappy underdog with some up-and-coming talent.
