The Utah Jazz will have their chance to upend the Northwest’s best team when they square off against the division rival Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Action starts at 8:00 pm ET on Thursday, Mar. 24 and can be seen on RT and FxK.
The Thunder beat the Rockets 111-107 on Tuesday. Oklahoma City was lifted by Russell Westbrook, who recorded his 15th triple-double on the season. He dominated, registering 21 points, 15 assists, and 13 rebounds. The Jazz, meanwhile, are coming off an 89-87 win against that same Rockets squad on Wednesday. Gordon Hayward led the team in scoring by accumulating 22 points on 5-for-11 shooting.
The Thunder have won all three matchups against the Jazz this season, including a 104-98 win the last time these two teams met. Kevin Durant scored a game-high 31 points.
The Thunder come into this game 49-22 Straight Up (SU) and 29-39-3 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 7-3 ATS over their last 10 games. Oklahoma City has been struggling as of late. In the last 10 games, Oklahoma City has only averaged 97.1 points per game compared to the 110.2 they’ve averaged on the season. Oklahoma City has an edge in the rebounding department for this game, where they rack up a league-best 48.5 rebounds per game. Oklahoma City’s defense is doing better against opposing offenses during the last 10 games. It is allowing an average of 91.0 points per game, well under their season average of 103.1.
As for their opponent, the Jazz have 34-36 SU and 34-35-1 ATS records. When traveling to face teams in its division, Utah has a record of 2-4 ATS. However, the Jazz have a better SU record of 5-1 in those games. The Jazz have shown improvement on the offensive end over the most recent 10 game stretch. Over that span, Utah is averaging 110.6 PPG, significantly more than their season average of 97.7. The last 10 games have really brought the worst out of the Jazz on the defensive end. They allowed 103.5 points per game during that span, which is higher than their season average of 96.3.
In their previous meeting this season, Oklahoma City beat Utah, bringing its SU record to 7-3 over the Jazz in the last 10 games. The teams are even ATS, with a 5-5 record.
Predictions: SU Winner – OKC
Notes
“Oklahoma City is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games “.
“Oklahoma City is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games “.
“Oklahoma City is 2-4-1 ATS in its last 7 games at home”.
“Oklahoma City is 19-6 SU in its last 25 games at home”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Oklahoma City’s last 15 games at home”.
“Oklahoma City is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Utah”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Oklahoma City’s last 5 games when playing Utah”.
“Oklahoma City is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games when playing at home against Utah”.
“Oklahoma City is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Utah”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Oklahoma City’s last 9 games when playing at home against Utah”.
“Utah is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Oklahoma City”.
The Oklahoma City Thunder hold a tremendous 11-2 SU record in matchups against Northwest Division rivals, while the Utah Jazz currently sit at 5-7 in these games.
On average, Utah scores 97.7 points per game (ranked 29th), while Oklahoma City allows 103.1 points per game (ranked 16th).
Utah ranks 26th in points per away game with 96.9 points, while Oklahoma City ranks 12th in points allowed at home with 100.2.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Thunder are 26-4 on the season. When the Jazz score fewer than 100, they are an underachieving 17-28.
When the Oklahoma City Thunder allow at least 100 points they are 23-18, while the Utah Jazz are 18-8 when they register triple digits.
The Thunder have the second-best offensive rating in the NBA (110.3). The Jazz are also in the top half of the league based on their defensive rating of 102.8 (ranked 10th).
The Oklahoma City Thunder average 99.9 possessions and 1.103 points per possession in games this season. The Utah Jazz average fewer possessions with 94.2, as well as fewer points per possession with 1.037.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking fourth in the league with an EFF% of 52.3%. When their opponents record a similar or higher EFF%, the Utah Jazz have an underachieving 6-22 record.
On average, the Oklahoma City Thunder make 22.9 assists per game and the Utah Jazz make 18.9. Oklahoma City is ranked 10th, while Utah is ranked 28th.
Oklahoma City ranks near the top of the league in blocking at third (6.1 blocks per game). Utah is ranked 13th, with 5.2 blocks per game.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are the top offensive rebounding team in the league. The Utah Jazz rank 24th in defensive rebounding.
Utah makes an average of 7.8 steals per game. Oklahoma City has a winning 36-18 record when it gives up at least 7 steals.
