Can The Lakers Finish Out The First Half Strong Without LeBron James?
Only One Market Stands Out When Looking At The Lakers vs Jazz Matchup Odds
The Los Angeles Lakers are likely excited about the upcoming NBA All-Star break. The Lakers are 29-26 but have been dealing with many NBA injuries lately.
Los Angeles would love to steal a win in its final game of the first half of the season.
They’ll take on the Utah Jazz, who will be playing in the first game of a back-to-back. Utah will face the Golden State Warriors in a makeup game on Thursday before the All-Star break festivities begin.
For the Lakers, LeBron James and Anthony Davis are on the Western Conference All-Star team. Those two will still likely play in the All-Star Game despite nagging injuries. However, Gabe Vincent, Max Christie, Cam Reddish, and Jarred Vanderbilt are all unlikely to return until after the All-Star Break.
It’s also been confirmed that James won’t play in this game against the Jazz to rest his sore ankle.
Therefore, the Lakers are certainly excited about having a week off for the rest of their guys to recover.
On the other hand, the Utah Jazz have fallen below .500 after losing five of their last seven games. The Jazz are probably just as excited to regroup for a second-half run to make the playoffs.
But with James out, the Lakers are sitting at +5.5 against the Jazz, on the road, in this critical Western Conference game. The total is currently sitting at 239.5.
Take a look at the Lakers vs Jazz matchup odds below.
Lakers vs Jazz 
Day/Time:
Location: Delta Center, Salt Lake City, UT
Streaming: NBA League Pass
Lakers vs Jazz Matchup Odds & Trends
The Los Angeles Lakers might have a winning record, but they’re multiple games below .500 against the spread. For Lakers backers, betting on the Lakers against the spread hasn’t been profitable. However, the Lakers have done well, hitting the Over in more games than the Under this year.
The Lakers have a losing record on the road, which isn’t so good for them. That’s because the Jazz have gone 17-8 at home this year and have won against the spread in 31 of 54 games this year.
Like the Lakers, the Jazz have done well hitting the Over at a high rate this year, too.
Per the trends, the Jazz against the spread and the Over seems like the most likely to hit. Let’s keep breaking this game down to see if those are the plays for this matchup.
The Final Game Of The First Half Is Important For Lakers
Before Tuesday’s game against the Pistons, Anthony Davis was asked what it would mean for the Lakers to win both games before leaving for the All-Star Break.
He thinks it’s essential for the Lakers to finish strong and build momentum. They want to move up in the NBA standings and come back excited to continue to play basketball as they approach better seeds in the Western Conference.
What Is Utah Doing?
The Utah Jazz lost to the Golden State Warriors last time out, 129-107. It was Utah’s second straight loss after allowing 129 points in both NBA games.
Typically, the Jazz compete at a high level and always seem like they’re in the game. But against the Warriors, the Jazz had no chance.
Coach Will Hardy started Keyonte George over Kris Dunn at point guard for this game. Because of that move, Curry went off, and George posted a -32 in that game.
John Collins also struggled, giving the Jazz a -27 when he was out on the floor. He has some limitations that hurt the Jazz and what they want to do.
Utah traded away Kelly Olynyk, Ochai Agbaji, and Simone Fontecchio. Those guys were obviously integral parts of the NBA team because other opponents wanted them. The Jazz will have to figure out how to win with what they’ve got now.
Utah’s Defense Is Shakey
It’s hard to trust the Utah defense, especially after all of the trades.
The Jazz rank 25th in points per 100 possessions and have only earned 12.2% of turnovers per game this NBA season. That’s only good for 27th in the NBA.
On defense, the Jazz are able to limit fouls, and while Utah isn’t good on the glass, the Lakers are typically very weak on the offensive end regarding rebounds.
The Lakers have earned only 22.8% of offensive rebounds per game this season. Therefore, if the Jazz can at least hold the Lakers to some bad shooting and limit them from the line, Utah, at home, could keep the Lakers in check defensively.
Los Angeles has still shot an effective field goal percentage of 56.3%. Therefore, the Jazz ultimately need to hope the Lakers have a poor shooting night on a second game of a back-to-back, or the Jazz will need to play better defense than usual.
On the other hand, the Jazz turn the ball over 15.7% of the time. That’s the worst rate in the NBA. However, Utah has also added 32.3% of offensive rebounds this season. That’s second-best in the NBA.
Therefore, while the Jazz loses possessions with high turnovers, they regain some with second chances on the offensive glass.
The Lakers are typically good on the defensive end on the glass and have limited fouls really well this year. Still, the Lakers have allowed 115.7 points per 100 possessions and a 55.3% effective field goal percentage.
Opponents can score on the Lakers at a consistent rate.
While the Jazz against the spread makes sense, the NBA odds for the Over make even more sense. Both of these teams are fighting for an NBA playoffs spot. Therefore, we’ll likely get a back-and-forth matchup with plenty of scoring.
Therefore, when looking at the Lakers vs Jazz matchup odds, our NBA picks for tonight include the Over 239.5 (-110).
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