NBA: Atlanta Hawks vs. Utah Jazz Preview, Odds, Prediction

The Atlanta Hawks are in an obvious crisis, and things aren’t going to be any easier for them once they meet the Utah Jazz. Though, we need to say that the Jazzers have slowed down in the past few days, but the good thing for Quin Snyder’s crew is that they finally get back home. Unlike Atlanta, Utah had enough time to prepare for this match, as Hawks played last night in San Francisco against the league leaders – Warriors. All the odds suggest that the hosts are massive favorites.

Preview

Atlanta Hawks (4-7, +270) felt Steph Curry’s rage last night. The two-time MVP dropped 50 on them for a 127-113 victory. The Hawks lost the pace in the third period, once the hosts pulled away after winning it 41-20. Previously, the Hawks had a 15-point lead but managed to waste that.

Trae and the boys weren’t covering the floor as usual, and also, we’ve noticed that the Warriors outscored them in fast break points, 18-5. This is one more proof that the Hawks aren’t physically prepared well for this season and that last year’s trip to the East finals took a toll.

Trae Had 28 points and nine assists, Collins 19 with six rebounds, and Bogdanovic 17. In general, there aren’t too many remarks on the Hawks’ offense, but the defense was highly questionable.

Utah Jazz (7-3, -230) suffered back-to-back losses in Florida, first against the Miami Heat 118-105, and after that against the Orlando Magic, 107-100. They played four of the past five events on the road, all of them on the Eastern side of the country, but are now finally back to Salt Lake City.

The Jazz has one of the better defenses in the country, fifth overall in points allowed, 102.6 per game, and second in three-point shooting percentage allowed, 29.4%. Meanwhile, the offense scores 111.5 points, the fourth-best in the NBA.

Despite these two losses, we still believe that the Jazzers are among the top five teams in the NBA. They have Donovan Mitchell, who drops 25.8 points per game, and fantastic Rudy Gobert, who averages 15.2 buckets and 16.1 boards. Also, their offensive arsenal includes Bojan Bogdanovic 16.9 ppg, Mike Conley 16.1 ppg, and Jordan Clarkson with 14.4 points.

Head to Head Games

The Hawks hosted Utah a few days ago. The result of this matchup was 116-98 for the guests, who blew away the hosts in the final period, outscoring them 41-24.

Clarkson came off the bench to score 30 buckets in 31 minutes, Bogdanovic had 23, while Ingles added 19. On the other side, Trae dropped 21, and Hunter 14. We need to add that the Jazz played without Mitchell.

Prediction

We saw that the Jazz have what it takes to defeat Atlanta without its best player and on the road. Therefore, this game shouldn’t be problematic for them. The odds aren’t too profitable, but the risk is very low. Atlanta comes to town less than 24 hours since the last game, which by the way, ended with their loss. The spread on the Jazz is -7, but to be honest, we wouldn’t go there and instead focused only on the hosts’ plain victory.

Pick: Jazz Win

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