The Phoenix Suns host the Utah Jazz on Monday night at the Footprint Center.
Phoenix is the no. 1 team in the NBA with a league-best 36-9 record. The Suns have won six straight games and have established a three-game separation between them and the Golden State Warriors in the league, Western Conference, and Pacific Division standings. Phoenix took down the Indiana Pacers 113-103 in their last game.
The Jazz is 30-17 on the season and they are the top team in the Northwest Division. Utah is ranked 4th in the Western Conference team standings and is 7 games behind the Suns. Utah has won just three times in their last 10 games played. They head to Phoenix after a two-point defeat to the Golden State Warriors one night earlier.
The Jazz had a chance to steal one at Chase Center but Bojan Bogdanovic’s last-second three-point attempt rimmed out and the Warriors escaped with a 94-92 win. Bogdanovic had a big game with 21 points and 8 rebounds while Rudy Gobert added 12 points and 18 assists. Rudy Gay added 16 points and 5 boards off the bench but the Jazz still lost to the Dubs.
Utah is the top-scoring team in the NBA at 114.7 points per game scored. They are no. 3 in rebounding at 46.5 boards grabbed per contest and 5th in passing at 22.3 assists per game. The Jazz are 12th in scoring defense at 107.4 points per game allowed.
The Suns rolled past the Pacers 113-103 in their last outing with Miles Bridges leading the scoring with 23 points and Bismack Biyombo contributing 21 points off the Phoenix bench. Chris Paul had a monster double-double with 18 points and 16 assists while Devin Booker had a poor shooting night at 5-23 from the field with only 11 points. Javale McGee also had a double-double with 13 points and 12 boards.
Phoenix is 3rd in the league in scoring at 112.5 points per game this season. They are 6th in rebounding at 46.0 boards grabbed per contest, and 5th in passing at 26.4 assists per game. The Suns rank 5th in scoring defense at 104.5 points per game allowed.
The Jazz are 2-7 SU in their last nine games played. Utah is 2-5 SU in their last seven road games. The Suns are 6-0 SU in their last six games played. Phoenix is 17-3 SU in 20 home games played this season.
Head to head, the Jazz are 6-4 SU in their last 10 games played against the Suns. However, Utah is in a bad stretch right now, having lost seven out of their last 10 games played and are coming off a loss the previous night to the Warriors.
Rudy Gobert though is on a tear and without Deandre Ayton, Gobert will have an easier time against Bismack Biyombo.
The Suns last played on Saturday and played that game in Phoenix so they should be well-rested heading to this contest. The Suns have the best record in the NBA right now and have won six straight games. Phoenix is also 18-5 SU at home this season.
Utah will be playing for the second consecutive night and for the third time in the last four days and three different cities. Fatigue could be a key factor here as the Suns are very well-rested. The Suns come at a premium but at their quality, it’s definitely worth it.
Prediction: Phoenix Suns
Utah is 1-7-1 ATS in their last nine games played. The Jazz are 7-17-1 ATS in their last 25 road games against an opponent with a winning home record, 2-5 ATS in their last seven games when their starters combine for 160 minutes played in their previous game, 5-15-1 ATS in their last 21 games against an opponent with a winning straight up record, 1-4 ATS in their last five Monday games, 1-4-1 ATS in their last six road games, 1-5 ATS in their last six games after a straight up loss, and 1-6-1 ATS in their last eight games as road underdogs.
Phoenix is 4-1 ATS in their last five games played. The Suns are 5-0 ATS in their last five games against opponents from the Western Conference, 4-1 ATS in their last five January games, 4-1 ATS in their last five games after a straight up win, 4-1 ATS in their last five games as betting favorites, 5-2 ATS in their last seven games when allowing 100 or more points in their previous game, and 5-0 ATS in their last five games against the Jazz.
These two teams are very familiar with one another so despite what the records and trends say, both teams are capable of beating each other on any given night. However, the main factor in this game could be fatigue, with Utah playing the second of a back-to-back schedule.
Utah lost a close one to the Warriors on Sunday and they had a chance to win that game on a Bojan Bogdanovic three-pointer and an opportunity to send the game to OT with a missed tip-in by Royce O’Neale. After the loss, the Jazz are making the trip to Phoenix and play the Suns on zero-days rest.
Phoenix is the no. 1 team in the NBA but they are just 25-20 ATS on the season. However, against a tired Utah team that is still struggling to pick up wins right now, I think that Phoenix has more than enough firepower to cover this spread.
Prediction: Suns -9
The total has gone under in five out of the last six games played by the Jazz. The under is 5-1 in their last six games against the Western Conference, 4-1 in their last five Monday games, 4-1 when their opponent scores 100 or more points in their previous game, and 5-0 when their opponent allows 100 or more points in their previous game.
The total has gone under in five out of the last six games played by the Suns. The under is 4-0 in their last four games after an ATS loss, 5-1 in their last six games as betting favorites, 12-3-1 in their last 16 games when allowing more than 100 points in their previous game, 4-1 in their last five games after a straight-up win, 5-2 in their last seven Monday games, and 17-7 in their last 24 games against an opponent with a winning straight up record.
Utah enters this game as the NBA’s top-scoring team but the over is only 23-22-1 in their 46 games played this season. The under is 5-1 in their last six games played and they are ranked only 15th in tempo at 98.4 possessions per game this season.
The under is 25-20 in Phoenix’s 45 games played this season with one push. The Suns have hit the under also five times in their last six games played. Phoenix has conceded 103 or fewer points in four out of their last six games played.
These teams have combined to score just 213.6 points per game in their last 10 head-to-head meetings and 217.33 points per game in their most recent three encounters. I like these teams to hit the under.
Prediction: Under 221.5
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