Phoenix Suns vs Utah Jazz Betting Analysis
NBA handicapper JM Sports breaks down tonight’s Phoenix Suns vs Utah Jazz showdown in the Western Conference on Monday, January 24. At the time of posting, the Suns have opened as a 9-point home favorite over the visiting Jazz, with the total sitting at 222 points.
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Monday, January 24 | NBA Betting Notes |
---|---|
Point Spread: | Phoenix Suns -9 vs Utah Jazz |
Total: | 222 Points |
Game Time: | 9:10pm ET / 6:10pm PT |
Arena: | Footprint Center in Phoenix |
TV: | NBA TV |
Phoenix Suns vs Utah Jazz Preview
Two of the top-four teams in the Western Conference square off on Monday in Phoenix. This may be deja vu for Utah, as they took on Golden State on Sunday (and lost in a close game 92-94) and now have to play a back-to-back with Phoenix.
Deandre Ayton is currently questionable for Phoenix, but Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell aren’t at 100% either. Phoenix holds a seven-game lead over Utah right now in the West as Utah seems to be headed in the wrong direction recently, winning just two games in their last nine, while Phoenix has won nine of their last ten. Phoenix also holds the recent head-to-head advantage, winning four-straight against Utah, including back-to-back wins at home.
Very Few High Notes
As I mentioned, Utah comes into this game heading in the wrong direction, which included yet another loss last night. This Utah team is still No. 1 in the league in points per game (114.7), No. 2 in field goal percentage (47.42) and No. 6 in three-point shooting, showing glimmers of an offense that could make a serious run in the postseason, but not if they play like they have been.
Utah has won 19 out of 25 games against the West this year, while posting a 15-7 record on the road. This team is No. 1 in effective FG% and true shooting percentage but they haven’t been able to cover the spread at a consistent rate on the year.
Utah is just 13-23 against the spread outside of their division, 3-7 against the spread with a rest disadvantage, and just 6-10 against the spread coming off a loss. Utah is also 0-5 against the spread in the last five games against teams with a winning record, 0-4 against the spread in the last four games on the back end of a back-to-back two game set, and 1-7-1 against the spread in their last 9 games overall.
On the year, Utah has outscored their opponents by over seven points per game on average, but in this rough patch, they are getting outscored by over a point per game, even though they have been a favorite by an average of nine points in those games!
The Sunny Side
Phoenix, on the other hand, looks like they have a chip on their shoulder after the way the season ended last year. They have been impressive all year and they continue this streak where they have been “as hot as the Sun(s)”. They are 36-9 this year, putting them in first place in the West, three games ahead of the Golden State Warriors who hold the No. 2 spot in the conference.
Phoenix is 18-5 on their home court, outscoring opponents by 8.5 points per game, and they are undefeated in the last two weeks, winning all six games they have played thus far and outscoring opponents in those six games by 13.5 points per game!
While Utah has had an impressive offense thus far, Phoenix isn’t far behind at all. They are No. 3 in scoring on the season (112.5); No. 1 in field goal percentage (47.58%); and No. 5 in three-point shooting (36.30%).
All the while the defense has been almost as dominant, they are holding opponents to 104.5 points per game (No. 5 in the league) and teams are struggling to even keep possession of the ball with Phoenix averaging almost nine steals per game, with Chris Paul to thank for a decent chunk of that, those numbers put Phoenix at No. 5 in the league for steals per game.
Phoenix looks to continue the trends and take out another non-divisional opponent as they look to cash in on their 32nd win outside the division (with only five losses). Phoenix looks like they are going to be hard to stop as we get close to the All-Star break, they are 22-4 with just one day of rest, 29-6 off a win, 14-3 when they hold the rest advantage and an impressive 18-5 record at home. Phoenix has also won eight out of the last nine games against teams without rest, while cashing in on nine of the last ten games at home with the rest advantage.
Phoenix Suns vs Utah Jazz Prediction
Phoenix is the hottest team in the league right now, they currently hold the longest active win streak at six consecutive games. Phoenix has been getting it done from all angles, getting help from a multitude of players. Just look at how their roster is spread among the league leaders in stats, but let me preface with the fact that Deandre Ayton hasn’t played enough games this season to qualify for a league leader thus far, if he did, he would find himself in the top-15 in rebounds per game, among other stats, joining Devin Booker (#14 in PPG), Javale McGee (#4 in FG%), Cameron Johnson (#9 in 3PT%), and Chris Paul (#1 in assists per game & T-#1 in steals per game) in the list of teammates in the top-15 in their designated categories.
Opinion : Phoenix (-9), neither one of these teams have been super impressive against the spread, but with the injuries for Utah, and Phoenix record against the spread off a W (21-14), I am going with Phoenix.
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Phoenix Suns vs Utah Jazz Notes from GoldSheet
Phoenix has had the edge against Utah for more than two seasons, winning four-straight and covering the last five, a streak loosely linked to the Suns signing PG Chris Paul for the 2020-21 season. This is the first of a home-and-home set for these two, with a Wednesday visit up to Salt Lake City next on the docket for both.
Phoenix back in stride, winning 9 of last 10, and Utah is just 1-6 both straight-up and and against the spread in their last seven as an underdog. However, Monty Williams’ Suns side hasn’t been great laying points at the Footprint Center lately (2-5 ATS last seven as home chalk), and he’s got to manage the workload on Paul, who is coming off a season-high 41 minutes. Add to that the fact PF Jae Crowder has been ruled out of this game due to a wrist injury and C Deandre Ayton is doubtful for the game with an ankle sprain that’s kept him out of three-straight since he was injured against the Pistons.
Utah still waiting for star G Donovan Mitchell to clear concussion protocols, and he’s missed three-straight after sitting out the 94-92 loss at Golden State last night, and might not be ready for this contest. Backup C Hassan Whiteside likewise missed the Warrior game due to conditioning, but could be ready for this one. However, the Jazz are 12-2 against the number in 2nd games of back-to-back contests, but just 3-2 on the road in those situations, and currently are 1-7 last eight against the points overall and 0-3 since Mitchell was injured.
Rested Phoenix will use Bismack Biyombo (11 ppg, 8 rpg last five games) to deal with Rudy Gobert. Play Phoenix.
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 Monday’s sheet, with notes on tonight’s Phoenix Suns vs Utah Jazz contest.
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