Blake Daniels, November 21, 2022

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The Utah Jazz head to the Crypto.com Arena to visit the L.A. Clippers on Monday night.

Utah has been the biggest surprise this season. Given up for dead before the 2022-23 campaign began for giving away their key players for draft picks, the Jazz have played without pressure and with plenty of fire. Now they are 12-6 and in first place in the Northwest Division team standings.

The Clippers are among the early-season favorites to win it all this season. L.A. has struggled with Kawhi Leonard’s injuries since he arrived in town and this year hasn’t been any different. Despite Leonard going in and out of their lineup, the Clippers are 10-7 SU to start the year and are in second place in the disappointing Pacific Division team standings.

Utah Jazz

The Jazz snapped out of their three-game losing streak by beating the Phoenix Suns last Friday. Utah then proceeded to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers in the second of a back-to-back set. The Jazz took advantage of Damian Lillard‘s injury and Malik Beasley erupted for 29 points with six three-pointers to lead the Jazz to a 118-113 win as +4.5 point underdogs.

Jordan Clarkson scored 15 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter against Portland while Lauri Markkanen had 23 points and 10 boards against the Blazers after torching the Suns for 38 points. Beasley himself was coming off a 27-point performance against Phoenix. Utah is 6th in the NBA in assists at 27.8 dimes per contest while they are 4th in adjusted offensive efficiency at 115.8 points per 100 possessions.

LA Clippers

The L.A. Clippers will be playing the final game of a three-game homestand. They won the first two games of the set and are looking for a sweep here. L.A. defeated the Detroit Pistons last Thursday and then routed the San Antonio Spurs this past Saturday. The Clippers shot 52% from deep against the Spurs and made 21 three-pointers, with Paul George making 5 triples.

George scored 21 points in 15 minutes before leaving the game with an injury. Reggie Jackson added 20 points and 4 assists while John Wall had 15 dimes aside from 5 points and 4 steals. Meanwhile, Norman Powell scored 26 points on 10-16 shooting. L.A. has the lowest offensive rating in the league at 107.2 points per 100 possessions. They are second in the entire NBA in defensive rating at 107.3 points per 100 possessions allowed.

Utah Jazz vs LA Clippers SU Prediction

The Jazz have won three out of the last four head-to-head meetings between these two teams. Utah is 1-4 SU in their last five road games in Los Angeles.

Utah Jazz SU trends:

• The Jazz are 12-6 SU in their last 18 games played.
• The Jazz are 6-5 SU in 11 road games played this season
• The Jazz are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games played against the Pacific Division.
• The Jazz are 11-3 SU in their last 14 games played against the Western Conference.

LA Clippers SU trends:

• The Clippers are 8-3 SU in their last 11 games played.
• The Clippers are 3-3 in 6 road games played so far this season.
• The Clippers are 5-2 SU in their last 7 November games played.
• The Clippers are 4-1 SU in their last 5 Monday games.

The Jazz have been the biggest surprise of the season. After blowing up their team during the offseason, many experts thought that the Jazz were giving away this season. They traded Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell, Royce O’Neal, and Bojan Bogdanovic with Mike Conley the only remaining starter from last season.

However, Lauri Markkanen is having a fantastic year while veterans like Conley, Jordan Clarkson, Kelly Olynyk, Collin Sexton, and Malk Beasley are all scoring in double-digits and the Jazz have shocked many teams this season, going 10-3 SU as betting underdogs.

Meanwhile, the Clippers are considered among the top betting favorites to win it all this season. Even with Kawhi Leonard continuing to suffer health issues, the Clippers at 10-7 SU are off to a good start.

Paul George has been sensational while Marcus Morris, Norman Powell, and John Wall are scoring double-digits. Then there are players like Ivica Zubac, Terrance Mann, Luke Kennard, Nicolas Batum, Robert Covington, and Moses Brown who can step up on any given night. With this depth, the Clippers will be a tough out even without PG.

Utah is also without Mike Conley so it’s almost an even playing field. Los Angeles has the deeper lineup and will be at home. The Jazz play better at home than on the road this season so that adds to how I make my pick.

Overall, I just think that the Clippers have more depth here. I’ll take the home team.

Prediction: LA Clippers

Jazz vs Clippers ATS Prediction

The The Jazz are 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games played against the Clippers. Utah is 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games played in Los Angeles.

Utah Jazz ATS trends:

• The Jazz are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games overall.
• The Jazz are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 road games.
• The Jazz are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games following an ATS win.
• The Jazz are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games following a straight-up win.
• The Jazz are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games playing on 1 day’s rest.
• The Jazz are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Jazz are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
• The Jazz are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Jazz are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Jazz are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games versus a team with a winning straight-up record.
• The Jazz are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 Monday games.

LA Clippers ATS trends:

• The Clippers are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games overall.
• The Clippers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Clippers are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Clippers are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games following a straight-up win.
• The Clippers are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games playing on 1 days of rest.
• The Clippers are 4-11 ATS in their last 15 games against a team with a winning straight-up record.
• The Clippers are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games against a team with a winning % above .600.
• The Clippers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 home games versus a team with a winning road record.
• The Clippers ae 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games against the Northwest Division.

The first time these two teams met, the Clippers shot 8-33 from behind the three-point arc. They were outscored 26-17 in the fourth quarter and ended up losing the game 110-102.

That was a huge win for the Jazz who have overachieved so far this season. However, it would be too much to ask Utah to do it again after three weeks. No question, the Jazz are playing very well right now and are perhaps the biggest story in the league this year. But then the Clippers are among the top contenders and are coming off a dominant win over the Spurs.

L.A. dropped 21 triples on the Spurs the last time out so I expect the Clippers to play much better this time around. Paul George may miss the game but the Jazz will be without point guard Mike Conley who will miss two weeks with a knee strain that he suffered against the Blazers.

I think that the Clippers have too much firepower for the Jazz to match here. Give me the home team to cover the betting spread.

Prediction: Clippers -3.5

Jazz vs Clippers Over/Under Prediction

The total has gone over in four out of the last 6 head-to-head meetings between these two teams.

Utah Jazz over/under trends:

• The over is 5-2 in the Jazz’s last 7 overall.
• The over is 5-2 in the Jazz’s last 7 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The over is 5-2 in the Jazz’s last 7 when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The over is 4-0 in the Jazz’s last 4 games following an ATS win.
• The over is 4-0 in the Jazz’s last 4 games following a straight-up win.
• The over is 5-1 in the Jazz’s last 6 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The over is 5-1 in the Jazz’s last 6 vs. a team with a winning straight-up record.
• The under is 6-2 in the Jazz’s last 8 Monday games.
• The under is 6-2 in the Jazz’s last 8 games playing on 1 day’s rest.

L.A. Clippers over/under trends:

• The under is 17-4 in the Clippers’ last 21 overall.
• The under is 12-3-1 in the Clippers’ last 16 home games.
• The under is 21-6-2 in the Clippers’ last 29 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The under is 16-5 in the Clippers’ last 21 when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The under is 15-5-1 in the Clippers’ last 21 games playing on 1 day’s rest.
• The under is 3-1-1 in the Clippers’ last 5 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
• The under is 18-7-2 in the Clippers’ last 27 when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The under is 5-2-2 in the Clippers’ last 9 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
• The under is 7-0 in the Clippers’ last 7 games following an ATS win.
• The under is 5-1 in the Clippers’ last 6 games following a straight-up win of more than 10 points.
• The under is 18-4 in the Clippers’ last 22 games following a straight-up win.
• The over is 8-1 in the Clippers’ last 9 Monday games.
• The over is 4-1-1 in the Clippers’ last 6 versus a team with a winning straight-up record.

The first meeting between these two teams this season last November 6th produced a measly total of 212 points.

The Clippers are the lowest-scoring team in the NBA this season at 105.2 points per game. That should offset the fact that the Jazz are no. 4 in the league in scoring at 117.6 points per game this season.

On defense, the Clippers are the top defensive team in the league at 105.4 points per game this season. Again, that should make up for the fact that Utah is no. 17 in scoring defense at 114.2 points per game conceded.

Utah has split its 18 games played between the over and under so they are a team that can adjust to how their opponent plays the game. Meanwhile, the under is a dominant 14-3 in the Clippers’ 17 games played so far this season. That says they usually dictate how their games this season have been played. I think that happens here.

L.A. is going to play its slow and low-scoring game on Monday. The Jazz will oblige. Add the fact that Paul George isn’t playing on Monday.