The Portland Trail Blazers (14-17), 5.5-point underdogs, will be at Vivint Smart Home Arena to meet the Utah Jazz (18-12) in a Northwest Division matchup. The game’s Over/Under (O/U) opened at 220 points and action begins at 10:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, December 26, 2019.
Portland Trail Blazers at Utah Jazz ATS Odds
Both teams fell in their last outing. The Jazz (4.5-point underdogs) were defeated by the Miami Heat, 107-104, while the Trail Blazers (6-point favorites) fell to the New Orleans Pelicans, 102-94. The Utah game went 3 points under the projected point total of 214, while the Portland game finished 34 points under the projected point total of 230.
Portland did an excellent job of making free throws (16-18; 88.9 percent) while Utah had a better turnover percentage (10.1 vs. 11.3). Rudy Gobert played a key role for Utah with 18 points, 20 rebounds and five blocks. Portland, meanwhile, was led by Hassan Whiteside, who contributed 11 points and 16 rebounds.
This series was highly competitive last year, as the teams split their four games last season. The Trail Blazers won the last matchup 132-105. The Trail Blazers’ 28.2 offensive rebounding percentage was their largest strength over the Jazz, who had a mark of 18.6. This is the first time these teams will go head-to-head this year.
Games featuring the Trail Blazers have a slight tendency to finish under the total (51.6 percent). Portland comes into the contest with records of 14-17 straight up (SU) and 13-16-2 against the spread (ATS).
Similarly to Portland, a little over half of Jazz games have finished under the projected point total. Utah is 18-12 SU, but they have trouble covering the spread (11-17-2 ATS).
The Trail Blazers’ CJ McCollum has been playing at a high level over his last five games, averaging 26 points,3.6 assists,1.2 steals per game. Meanwhile, Gobert has averaged 17 points,16.4 rebounds,2.0 blocks during that same time frame for the Jazz.
Utah appears to have the advantage on the defensive side of the ball. The Jazz rank eighth in effective field goal percentage allowed (0.502), while Portland is 20th in effective field goal percentage (0.517).
Trail Blazers vs. Jazz Pick
Prediction: SU Winner – Jazz, ATS Winner – Trail Blazers, O/U – Under
Betting Notes:
- Neither of these teams are great at stealing the ball. The Jazz are 28th in the NBA with 6.1 steals per game while the Trail Blazers are 29th with 6.1 steals per game.
- Portland ranks second in blocks per game (6.7) while Utah ranks 27th (4.2).
- The Trail Blazers rank 13th in fast break points per game (13.6) while the Jazz rank 28th (10.4).
- Utah ranks fifth in three pointers allowed per game (31.7) while Portland ranks 17th (34.2).
- Utah ranks 22nd in points in the paint per game (45.5) while Portland ranks 28th (43.5).
- The Jazz rank ninth in second chance points allowed per game (12.3) while the Trail Blazers rank last (15.8).
- The Jazz rank first in assists allowed per game (20.7) while the Trail Blazers rank eighth (22.9).
- Utah ranks 28th in points off turnovers per game (14.5) while Portland ranks 29th (14.1).
- Utah ranks seventh in rebounds allowed per game (43.8) while Portland ranks 28th (48.2).
- In games where they hold opponents under 100 points, Portland is 3-0 and Utah is 6-1.
- The Trail Blazers are 14-12 when they reach the century mark, while the Jazz are 17-7.
- Portland is 7-8-1 ATS on the road, while Utah is 5-8-1 ATS at home.
- Of the Trail Blazers’ 16 road games, they have 9 unders, 6 overs and 1 push.
- Of the Jazz’s 14 home games, they have 8 overs and 6 unders.
Bettings Trends:
- The Jazz are 1-2-2 ATS over their last five games, while the Trail Blazers are 2-2-1.
- In their last five games, Utah has 3 overs and 2 unders, while Portland has 3 unders and 2 overs.
- During their last five games, the Jazz have scored an average of 110.4 points per game (3.1 above their season average) and allowed an average of 105.6 points per game (0.7 below their season average).
- The Trail Blazers have outscored opponents by an average of 5.0 points in their last five games. On the season, Portland has lost by an average of 0.9 points.
