The Golden State Warriors are just six wins away from making NBA history after their strong 102-94 win over Washington on Tuesday night. Now, the defending champions will attempt to take care of business again and notch win No. 68 when they pay the Utah Jazz a visit at the Vivint Smart Home Arena. Can the Warriors succeed in doing so or will the Jazz impose their will at home?
Read on below for a comprehensive look at this Western Conference showdown. And while you’re at it, check out our other previews for: Atlanta vs. Toronto and New Orleans vs. Spurs.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Golden State Warriors vs. Utah Jazz Betting Preview
Where: Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City
When: Wednesday, March 30, 2016, 9:00 PM ET
Line: Golden State Warriors (-6.5) vs. Utah Jazz (+6.5); total: 206.0 – view all NBA lines
TV Broadcast(s): RTRM+, CSBA, C+ D
Betting on the Golden State Warriors (67-7)
[sc:NBA250 ]That loss to the Spurs on March 19 seems to be still fueling the Golden State Warriors, who have gone 5-0 since. Their latest victims were the Wizards last night and Stephen Curry made sure to keep the Warriors unbeaten at home this season by finishing with 26 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
With that victory, Curry and co. have improved to 67-7 overall and also puts them a step closer into breaking the Chicago Bulls’ NBA-record of 72 wins. The Warriors will look to continue taking a step forward tonight, when they travel to Salt Lake City for an intriguing showdown with the Utah Jazz.
Expect the opposing defense to put all of its attention on the reigning league MVP. And that being the case, Klay Thompson (22.6 PPG), Draymond Green (13.8 PPG) and Harrison Barnes (11.3 PPG) should be able to find a number of opportunities on offense. All three are scoring in double-digits this season and Thompson, in particular, will be the second-biggest threat to the Jazz.
Thompson relatively struggled in the win over Washington, going just 7-of-19 from the floor for a total of 16 points. But prior to that game, the 26-year-old shooting guard put up back-to-back 40-point performances opposite Philadelphia and Dallas. Against Utah, Thompson is averaging 16.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists across 17 career games.
Green, meanwhile, will prove to be troublesome for the Jazz as well. He doesn’t score a lot of points, but his hustle and versatility has been a major reason to the Warriors’ overall success. The former Michigan State Spartan enters this bout fresh off a 15-point, 16-rebound and 9-assist effort against Washington. Green also put up 17 points, seven boards and five dimes in their previous meeting with Utah earlier this month.
Golden State is 15-5 SU and 9-10-1 ATS in its last 20 games on the road.
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Betting on the Utah Jazz (37-37)
Utah’s got it going right now and the timing couldn’t have been any better. The Jazz, who currently hold the seventh seed in the Western Conference, have won eight of their previous 10 contests. The latest one proved to be the most dominant, as they crush Kobe Bryant and the Lakers on Monday night, 123-75.
The star in that game was unexpectedly Rodney Hood. The second-year guard out of Duke finished with a game-high of 30 points – all in the first half – and nailed a career-high of eight three-pointers. He might just be able to replicate this performance when the Jazz take on the Warriors tonight. Hood is averaging 15.3 points on 51.4 percent shooting from the field across three career games against the defending champions.
Of course, Hood alone won’t be enough to give his team the win. The Jazz need their leading scorers in Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors to go to work as well. The two are averaging 36.3 points combined this season and Hayward, in particular, boasts a team-best of 19.6 points per game. But the 26-year-old small forward has gone relatively quiet in his last three games, posting just 11.7 points on 40.0 percent shooting.
Defense, meanwhile, will be the most important thing for Hayward and co. since they’ll be facing the No. 1 offensive team in league. If the Jazz manage to hold off the Warriors from their usual averages, they might just be able to shock us with an upset.
Utah, which ranks second in the league in scoring defense (96.1 PPG), is 7-3 SU and 5-5 ATS in its past 10 home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Golden State (-6.5) wins, but fails to cover the spread.
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