Here come the Jazz. Utah pulled into a tie with the Dallas Mavericks for the seventh seed in the Western Conference with a resounding victory over the Phoenix Suns on Saturday. Quin Snyder’s men will look to tighten their grip on that coveted playoff spot this coming Tuesday when they lock horns with the red-hot San Antonio Spurs in a marquee showdown at Vivint Smart Home Arena.
Who will emerge victorious in this Western Conference matchup? Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of this critical clash and while you’re at it, you can check out our previews of Cleveland vs. Milwaukee and Minnesota vs. Golden State.
San Antonio Spurs vs. Utah Jazz Preview
Where: Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City
When: Tuesday, April 5, 9:00 PM ET
Line: San Antonio Spurs (-3.5) at Utah Jazz (+3.5); total: 183.0 – view all NBA lines
TV Broadcast: FSSW/ROOT
Betting on the San Antonio Spurs (64-12)
The San Antonio Spurs extended their winning streak to three games with a gritty 102-95 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Saturday night. Kawhi Leonard led the way for the Spurs, scoring a career-high 33 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the field. Leonard has been solid on both ends of the floor for San Antonio, averaging 21.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.79 steals and 0.94 blocks per game this season.
It was a historic victory for the Spurs who notched their franchise-record 64th win this season. Key to the Spurs’ great run this campaign has been their incredible defense. San Antonio is tops in the NBA in scoring defense, surrendering a measly 92.6 points per game this season. That rock-solid defense, however, looked out of sorts in the win against the undermanned Raptors as Toronto shot an incredible 50 percent from the field.
Next up for the surging Spurs is a clash with the Utah Jazz. Gregg Popovich’s men will fancy their chances of grabbing the win tonight as they have fared extremely well against the Jazz of late. The Spurs have won 16 of their last 20 meetings with the Jazz. That being said, they will face a tough test against the Jazz who are 24-14 at home this season.
The Spurs are 7-3 SU and 5-5 ATS in their last 10 road games.
The Utah Jazz stretched their unbeaten run to two games with a convincing 101-86 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Saturday. Five players scored in double-figures for the Jazz who have now won four of their last five games. With the victory, Utah moved to within 1.5 games of Portland for sixth place in the Western Conference.
Key to the Jazz’s stunning resurgence has been their excellent play on the defensive end. The Jazz are allowing an average of just 88.9 points over their last 13 games. That’s way below their season average of 95.9 points allowed per game. The only teams to top 100 in those 13 games are Oklahoma City (113) and Golden State, which needed overtime to score 103 points.
The Jazz will have their work cut out for them, however, against the Spurs who have totally dominated their league matchups this season. The Spurs have averaged 112.3 points while holding the Jazz to 85.7 in their three meetings this season. That 26.6-point differential is San Antonio’s largest against a West opponent this season.
For the Jazz to reverse that trend this coming Tuesday, they will need Gordon Hayward and Rodney Hood to step up their play tonight. Hayward averaged just 11 points in those three meetings with the Spurs while Hood averaged just 8.3 points on a paltry 33 percent shooting. They’re averaging a combined 34.4 points for the Jazz this season.
The Jazz are 5-1 SU and ATS in their last six home games.
