Game: Milwaukee Bucks @ Utah Jazz
Time: 9:00 p.m.
Odds: Bucks -9, Jazz +9
Total: 234
Milwaukee travels to Utah tonight to take on the Jazz. The Bucks sit at the top of the Eastern Conference with a 52-20 record and a 2.5-game lead over the Boston Celtics. Milwaukee has been pouring on the points and is coming off an easy 130-94 win over San Antonio on Wednesday night. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 31 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in just 24 minutes of play. He and his Bucks teammates will be well-rested as no starter played more than 29 minutes on Wednesday.
Earlier this season, the Bucks put a similar hurting on the Jazz in a 130-94 victory in Milwaukee. They did that without Antetokounmpo. The Bucks have won seven of their last ten which has led to the Bucks being a nine-point favorite heading into tonight.
The Jazz lost at home to the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday, losing 127-115. The loss knocked them out of the play-in tournament. The Jazz (35-37) dropped to 12th place. They are a half-game behind the Mavericks, Lakers, Pelicans, and Thunder who are all 36-37.
Losing to teams like the Trail Blazers this late in the season is really demoralizing. Portland is in 13th place and is on the verge of being eliminated from playoff contention. The Jazz did get 40 points from Lauri Markkanen, but they still lost to a Blazers team that was average at best. Now they must overcome a Bucks team that has gone 11-1 SU in their last 12 road games.
One interesting statistic is that the Bucks have only won once in their last 20 trips to Utah. Markkanen, Rudy Gay, and Jordan Clarkson are all listed as out for tonight. Collin Sexton remains out indefinitely. Those are Utah’s best players and even with them, the Jazz would have a tough time beating the best team in basketball right now.
The Bucks are 17-3 SU in their last 20 games. They are only 5-12 SU in their last 17 against Utah. The Jazz are 4-2 SU in their last six games and 6-1 ATS in their last seven. Utah is 3-6 ATS in their last nine games at home.
The over has cashed in all six of the Jazz’s most recent games. The nonexistent Jazz defense has been the primary reason why. Utah is the second-most profitable Over team in the NBA this season with an O/U record of 41-29-2. They rank sixth in the NBA in scoring (117.4 ppg) and 22nd in opponent scoring (117.4).
Milwaukee has trended Under recently and the Under is 11-24 in the Bucks’ road games this year. Three of the last four Bucks games have gone Under the total, but Milwaukee has scored 116 or more points in each of its last ten games. They have scored 130 or more four times in the last ten games. The last three straight Bucks-Jazz games have gone Under.
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