Dallas -4 over UTAH
The Dallas Mavericks look to avenge an earlier defeat to the Utah Jazz and remain the only team in the NBA without double digit losses when they visit the Delta Center tonight. The Mavericks have won three straight games and six of seven, including a 122-100 triumph over Denver on Saturday. The Jazz had won three straight games before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers on the road on Saturday, 99-87.
Utah will be shorthanded tonight as their coach Jerry Sloan continues to serve his seven-game suspension for pushing a referee on Tuesday at Sacramento. They are also likely to be without Matt Harpring, the team's second-leading scorer, who was injured during Friday's victory over Golden State. This is not good news as they compete against the team with the NBA's record, who will be out for blood. Utah is just 4-16 ATS at home vs. the NBA's "CLASS A" teams.
Dallas will be looking to make a statement here with a big road win over a quality opponent. The Mavericks have had tremendous success in Salt Lake, going 9-1 ATS in their last 10 meetings here. We also note that Dallas is 8-2 ATS on the road off a home win in which they shot better than 50% from the field, 7-0 SU/6-0 ATS as a single-digit away favorite on Monday, and a perfect 4-0 ATS as a road favorite with a home game the following day, while the Jazz are just 1-3 ATS when hosting such a foe, including 0-1 ATS vs. the Mavs. Dallas will return home tomorrow to host the Kings, and we expect them to play very well here, in anticipation of that big game. They are 4-0 ATS before playing the Kings without rest, beating the spread by 11 points a game. In fact, in a league-wide system, the NBA is 8-2 ATS on the road before hosting Sacramento without rest.
The Jazz have been a pleasant surprise this season, and Matt Harpring has certainly been a big reason why. Without him in the lineup and coach Sloan not on the sidelines, Utah will be overmatched here.
PROJECTED FINAL SCORE: DALLAS 102 UTAH 95