Jazz vs Clippers Head to Head: Play the First Half in LA

The Utah Jazz might just be the biggest surprise of this early NBA season thus far. They were projected to win 24.5 games this season and are well on their way to doing that with a 12-6 record. What many people thought was going to be a team that was in drastic rebuild mode and struggling for wins, has turned into a team that opponents need to take seriously. That is a lesson that the Los Angeles Clippers learned the hard way earlier this month. Utah comes into the Jazz vs Clippers head to head matchup on Monday night having already beat the red and Blue Los Angeles team once this season.

The two NBA teams played back on November 6, with Utah winning 110-102 in Los Angeles despite being a 3.5-point underdog. The Jazz remain as underdogs in Monday’s contest as well, as the home team is favored by 3.5 points. The total for this game opened at 222 and has dropped just half a point to 221.5. The Clippers are priced on the Moneyline at -175 while a win for the Jazz has a payout of +150. Let’s take a look at our favorite NBA betting picks for this game.

Game Information

Clippers off Best Performance of Season

Los Angeles enters Monday’s Jazz vs Clippers head to head matchup on a two-game win streak. Their most recent wins have come at home over the Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs. The Clippers shot 54.3% from the field and 52.5% from three-point range against San Antonio, including hitting a combined season-high 21 threes. Paul George knocked down five of those threes and finished with 21 points before leaving the game with a hand injury. After the game, head coach Ty Lue said it was the best game his team has played all season.

This is a revenge game for the Clippers after losing to Utah once already on their home floor. Los Angeles shot just 8-33 from deep in that game, good for just 24%.

Los Angeles should be able to build on that performance in the Jazz vs Clippers head-to-head matchup on Monday night. This is a revenge game for the Clippers after losing to Utah once already on their home floor. Los Angeles shot just 8-33 from deep in that game, good for just 24%. In other words, not good at all. However, George’s status is something to keep an eye on before betting on this game.

Utah enters the Jazz vs Clippers head to head matchup having also won their last two games. They beat the Phoenix Suns at home and then traveled to Portland where they knocked off the Trail Blazers despite the NBA schedule making that game a back-to-back.

Style Points are Drastically Different

Both teams enter the contest playing a solid brand of basketball, but there is a drastic difference between these two teams’ styles of play. The Jazz have one of the best offenses in the league, ranking fourth in offensive rating and averaging 117.7 points per game over their last 10 games. Meanwhile, the Clippers are the worst offensive team in the league, scoring just 105.2 points per game, but have the second-best defensive rating in the NBA.

Jazz Dominant in First Half

Our favorite play for this game is to look at the first half. This is going to be Utah’s third game in four nights, meaning they could get a bit tired and worn down in the second half of this game. The Jazz have been great at starting games this season with a 13-5 record against the spread in the first half.

On the other hand, the Clippers have been known to get off to slow starts this season and seem to constantly be crawling back into games in the second half. Los Angeles is just 5-12 against the spread in the first half, which is why our favorite play for this game is to back the Jazz early.
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