Portland Trail Blazers vs Utah Jazz 12/26/19 NBA Betting Odds and Preview

The Portland Trail Blazers travel to Salt Lake City to take on the Utah Jazz on Thursday night at the Vivint Smart Home Arena.

Portland and Utah head to this post-Christmas game coming from losses. The Blazers saw their four-game winning streak halted by the New Orleans Pelicans in an upset at the Moda Center. On the other hand, Utah’s five-game winning run came to an end at South Beach following a loss to the Miami Heat in their last assignment. Portland has four losses in 10 road games played while Utah has 11 wins in a total of 14 home games played this season.

Win Streak Over

The Portland Trail Blazers’ longest win streak of the season ended prematurely at four games and it happened at the hands of the underdogs New Orleans Pelicans. New Orleans didn’t just stun the Blazers at home, they held Portland down to 94 points on 40.7% shooting from the floor with Damian Lillard going 0-10 from behind the three-point area.

Lillard was limited to just 18 points as well while C.J. McCollum also shot just 2-10 from beyond the three-point arc on Monday night. Carmelo Anthony scored 23 points for the Blazers while Hassan Whiteside had another double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds in a losing effort.

Portland is ranked 11th in scoring at 112.2 points per game this season. They are 6th in rebounding at 46.7 boards grabbed per contest and are 30th in assists at 19.9 dimes per contest. The Blazers are allowing the 8th most points per game this season at 113.0 per game.

Second Loss In Eight Games

The Utah Jazz are coming off a loss to the Miami Heat in Florida on Monday night. The loss ended Utah’s five-game winning streak and it was only their second loss in their last eight games played. Utah fell to 18-12 SU on the season, and they are currently three games behind the Denver Nuggets in the Northwest Division team standings.

Joe Ingles is coming off a season-best 27 point effort. Rudy Gobert also had a season-high 20 rebounds aside from 18 points but Donovan Mitchell shot just 5-18 from the floor including 1-6 from three-point land while scoring only 13 points in a losing effort. Mike Conley is out due to injury but the Jazz acquired Jordan Clarkson from the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Dante Exum.

Utah ranks 23rd in the league in scoring at 107.3 points per game this season. They are 13th off the glass with an average of 45.7 rebounds per game and are 27th in passing at 21.5 assists per game. The Jazz have the 7th best scoring defense in the NBA at 106.3 points per game allowed.

Who Wins?

Portland is 4-1 SU in their last five games played. The Blazers are 6-10 SU in 16 road games played this season. Utah is 5-1 SU in their last six games played. The Jazz are 11-3 SU in 14 home games played this season, and 7-2 SU in their last nine games against the Western Conference. Head to head, the Blazers are 4-2 SU in their last six games played against the Jazz.

Portland’s dynamic Backcourt struggled to shoot from three-ball in their last game played. The Blazers scored only 94 points in the game and lost to the New Orleans Pelicans at the Moda Center in their last outing. The loss snapped Portland’s four-game win streak and you bet they want to get back on the winning side.

The Jazz are also coming off a loss. But Utah’s loss was to the Miami Heat who are one of the best teams in the league this season, especially when at home. Utah is also a stout team at home at 11-3 SU this season. They will be more than ready for the Blazers, especially since this will be their first home game since December 17, when they toppled the Orlando Magic 109-102.

I don’t expect Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum to struggle as badly as they did against the Pelicans. But Utah’s defense should be able to limit the duo and help contain the Blazers who are just 6-10 SU on the road this season. I like the home team to bounce back with a win here.

Prediction: Utah Jazz

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Other Bets To Make

The Blazers are 2-3-1 ATS in their last six games played. Portland is 7-9 ATS in 16 home games played this season, and 1-5-1 ATS in their last seven games played against the Western Conference. The Jazz are 3-2-1 ATS in their last six games played. Utah is 6-8 ATS in 14 home games played this season. Head to head, the Jazz are 3-1 ATS in their last four games played against the Blazers.

Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum combined to shoot 2-20 from the three-point range against the Pelicans and the Blazers are coming off a loss to one of the worst teams in the league this season. You’d expect both to bounce back but they will have a tough time against one of the league’s top defenses. The Blazers are 1-4 ATS in their last five games as road underdogs and 1-4 ATS in their last five games against an opponent with a winning percentage of at least .600.

Prediction: Utah Jazz -5.5

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The total has gone under in six out of the last eight games played by Portland. The under is 5-0 in the Blazers’ last five games played on the road. The total has gone over in 11 out of the last 16 games played by the Jazz. The over is 6-1 in Utah’s last seven games played at home. Head to head, the total has gone under in seven out of the last 10 games played between these two teams. The under is also 5-1 in the last six meetings between these teams in Utah.

Portland went over the 220 total in the first three wins on their recent four-game winning streak. They’ve hit below that total in their last two games and are coming off a paltry effort against the Pelicans where they scored only 94 points, their fewest in their last 10 games. The Jazz have the 7th best scoring defense in the league this season and they are also a low-scoring team at #23 in the NBA in the offensive department. Utah has gone below the 220 mark in each of their last four games. I like the teams to stay under here with Utah’s defense putting the clamps on Portland’s scoring aces.

Prediction: Under 220

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