Lakers vs Jazz Odds and Predictions Feb 16
Lakers vs Jazz Betting Preview
WagerTalk NBA handicapper Andy Lang offers his Lakers vs Jazz betting preview for Wednesday, February 16. At the time of posting, Utah has opened as a 4.5-point road favorite in Los Angeles, with the total sitting at 226.5 points.
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| Wednesday, February 16 | NBA Betting Notes |
|---|---|
| Point Spread: | Utah Jazz -4.5 at Los Angeles Lakers |
| Total: | 226.5 Points |
| Game Time: | 10:10pm ET / 7:10pm PT |
| Arena: | Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles |
| TV: | ESPN |
Lakers vs Jazz Analysis
The Lakers will host the Utah Jazz in a Western Conference showdown Wednesday night in Los Angeles. The Jazz completed a sweep of a six game homestand with a 135-101 drubbing of the Houston Rockets. The Lakers are coming off a close 117-115 road loss against the Warriors on Saturday night. Los Angeles prevailed in the lone head-to-head meeting 101-95 at home on January 17th.
Jazz Back In Rhythm
The Utah Jazz are now 36-21 after winning six straight games to keep themselves at 4th place in the Western Conference. Prior the the streak Utah had lost 11 of 13 games as Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert both missed significant time. Both star players have returned and it’s been like night and day.
Rudy Gay is the only active player listed on the injury report as he is out with a knee injury. The Jazz now begin a stretch where they play six of their next seven games on the road. Utah boasts the No. 1 scoring offense in the league with 114 points per game. They rank ninth in scoring defense with 106.9 points allowed to their opponents.
Three Straight L’s For Los Angeles
The Los Angeles Lakers have been in poor form as they lost three straight games, dropping their record to 26-31. Their loss against Golden State was their fourth in five games. Head coach Frank Vogel was quoted “This one hurts” considering they led by six with only a few minutes to play. Lebron James led the team with 26 points, 15 rebounds and 8 assists.
Carmelo Anthony and Avery Bradley have both been ruled out for Wednesday night, while Lebron James and Anthony Davis are day-to-day. Defense has been a Laker weakness as they rank 26th with 112.6 points allowed per game. They rank tenth in points scored with 111 points a game.
Lakers vs Jazz Prediction
The Utah Jazz are 4.5-point road favorites with a total of 226.5. Revenge will be on the mind of the Jazz after being held to just 95 points in a loss at home to the Lakers last month. They Lakers will hard pressed to repeat that effort as they are in poor current form.
This is both teams’ last game before the All-Star break and while the Jazz look reinvigorated, the Lakers look worn out in tired. A five point road victory seems more than probable for the Utah Jazz.
Official Play: Utah Jazz -4.5
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Lakers vs Jazz Preview from GoldSheet
The return of the Spider has given Utah a major lift, with Jazz ace Donovan Mitchell has shot 25 ppg, grabbed 7 rpg and 6 apg while shooting 49% in his five games since returning from an eight-game absence due to a concussion.
The Jazz have won six-straight and covered each of the last five of those with Mitchell in the lineup and are 5-1 “under” in the streak thanks to an improved defense. Utah ranks third defensively and second in rebounding in the winning streak and was without C Rudy Gobert for the first five in that streak. Gobert returned on Monday in the blowout win over the Rockets, with 14 pts. (7 of 8 FGs) and 7 boards while playing only 19 minutes.
Now, the Lakers seem to be on point when playing the Jazz, as they are 6-2 straight-up last eight and 7-2 last nine against the number against Utah. In first meeting this season, the Lakers were without the considerable talents of Anthony Davis, while Utah not only started Mitchell and Gobert, HC Quin Snyder also had Joe Ingles, who’s now injured but historically has given the Lakers a black eye.
The Lakers, who will be without sixth man Carmelo Anthony again in this game, have been a patsy as a home dog almost since LeBron came to the team, going 9-17 against the number getting points at Staples/Crypto.com since January of 2019.
NBA Stat Sheet
Each day, WagerTalk handicapper Ralph Michaels puts together his NBA Stat Sheet, which offers a head-to-head comparison for how teams are performing in a number of key areas heading into a game. Check out Wednesday’s sheet, with notes on tonight’s Lakers vs Jazz contest.
NBA Tip-Off Show
Join Joe Raineri and a rotating panel of professional handicappers for the NBA Tip-Off Show every Monday-Friday at 4:15pm ET / 1:15pm PT as we discuss tonight’s marquee games. Stay up-to-date on the latest NBA news, stats, analysis, and predictions with our panel of pro sports bettors as they preview tonight’s NBA action, including this Lakers vs Jazz clash.
WagerTalk Live Odds Screen
WagerTalk’s live odds screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the NBA point spreads, moneylines, first half lines and betting percentages for all of Tuesday’s NBA games, including this Lakers vs Jazz showdown, from your desktop or phone.
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