Pelicans vs. Jazz Prediction
Are the Utah Jazz a smart bet to beat the New Orleans Pelicans tonight? The two teams will tip-off at 9:00 p.m. ET.
WHO ODDSMAKERS LIKE: Utah. According to oddsmakers from online sports book Bovada.lv, the Jazz are 1.5-point home favorites to beat the Pelicans, who opened as 2.5-point road underdogs before the line dropped. The total, meanwhile, hit the board at 210.5 but has climbed to 212.5 at most sports books.
WHO PUBLIC BETTORS LIKE: New Orleans. As of Wednesday afternoon, the Pelicans are receiving 58% of the betting tickets but 52% of the money is on the Jazz to cover the number.
INJURY REPORT: For the Pelicans, Tony Allen (knee), Alexis Ajinca (knee), Frank Jackson and Solomon Hill (hamstring) are all out. On the other side, Rudy Gobert (knee) is out, as are Raul Neto (concussion) and Dante Exum (shoulder).
OUR PREDICTION: The Pelicans are just 1-3-1 against the spread in their last five games in Utah and are winless at 0-4-1 at the betting window in their last five games versus the Jazz overall. New Orleans, meanwhile, is just 2-11 at the betting window in its last 13 games playing on three or more days of rest, is 1-4 against the spread in its last five road games versus a team with a home winning percentage of greater than .600, and is 3-7 against the number in its last 10 Western Conference matchups.
On the other side, the Jazz have covered the spread in seven of their last nine home games, are 7-3 against the spread in their last 10 games coming off an ATS win, and are 9-4 at the betting window in their last 13 games after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.
WEDNESDAY NBA PREDICTION: UTAH JAZZ -1.5