NBA: Utah Jazz vs Phoenix Suns Preview, Odds, Prediction

The Utah Jazz visits the Phoenix Suns in one of the key matches for the Western Conference’s final standings. If they manage to beat the Suns in Arizona, the Jazz will be far ahead of them and pretty much put one hand on the top seed in the conference. However, if the hosts come on top and score a victory, things will be very interesting in the West. So don’t miss this event, it promises a lot of fun and excitement.

Preview

Utah Jazz (38-12, TBA) lost on Monday night in Dallas against the Mavericks, 111-103, ending a nine-game winning streak that saw them mostly playing at home. The games against Dallas and Phoenix are a brief road trip before coming back to Salt Lake for a five-game homestand.

Donovan Mitchell was unrecognizable vs Mavs, with 16 points, shooting 6-for-23, and missing all eight three-pointers. The leading scorer among the Jazzers as Mike Conley with 28 points and seven assists, dropping six threes in 10 tries. Rudy Gobert once again posted a double-double with 14 points and 15 boards. Bojan Bogdanovic and Jordan Clarkson both added 16 buckets.

Utah scored almost twice as fewer threes than the hosts, 12-23. The key difference was made in the third quarter, and even though Jazz pumped up the tempo as the game neared its end, there was no way for them to make a rally.

Phoenix Suns (35-14, TBA) have six triumphs in a row, and nine in the last 10, with Devin Booker terrorizing the rivals in the previous few days. The sharpshooting guard and one of the most underrated players in the NBA (yes, he is, neither the league, the media, and the public give him enough respect) scored 32+points in four of the past five games.

The Suns beat the Rockets on Monday night, 133-130, in a gunfight at the Toyota Center. Suns felt first-hand the Rockets’ improvement, but successfully getting through this challenge. Booker dropped 36, six boards and assists and three-pointers. Deandre Ayton posted a double-double with 27 points and 11 rebounds, while Mikal Bridges had 20. Chris Paul scored 19 with 11 dimes.

The only factor that separated Monty Williams’ side from the Rockets were the fast break points, 26-14. In all the other aspects of the game, the teams were even.

Head to Head Games

Utah hosted the Suns on New Year’s day, and they lost that match, 106-95. Booker had 25 points, Bridges and Crowder scored 16 each. Donovan Mitchell had 23 for the home team, while Rudy Gobert posted 18 and 14 rebounds. During the game, the Suns reached a 21-point lead.

Prediction

The preliminary lines for this match are suggesting that the one for the total number of points is going to be set at 225.5. We feel that the bookmakers underestimated the potential qualities of these two sides, and that this match is definitely going above that limit. First of all, both teams have several players who can deliver four or five threes at any given moment. Also, both the Jazz and the Suns like quick and fast-paced basketball.

Due to all this, our final pick is over 225.5 points.