NBA Basketball: Oklahoma City Thunder VS Utah Jazz Pick and Predictions 02/23/2023

Game: 9:10 PM ET,  Thursday, February 23rd, 2023

Venue:  Vivint Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah

TV:  NBA League Pass

Thunder: 28-29, 10th place Western Conference

Jazz: 29-31, 11th place Western Conference

BetMGM:  Point Spread: Jazz -2.5, O/U 239.5

PointsBet: Point Spread: Jazz -3, O/U 239.5

Fanduel: Point Spread:  Jazz -2.5, O/U 239.5

Thunder: PG Shai Gilgeous Alexander, SG Josh Giddey, SF Luguentz Dort, PF Jalen Williams, C Jaylin Williams

Jazz: PG Collin Sexton, SG Jordan Clarkson, SF Lauri Markkanen, PF Kelly Olynyk, C Walker Kessler

A Western Conference battle between two teams just outside of the playoff bunch.  The OKC Thunder have one of the best backcourts in all of basketball.  The combination of Giddey and Alexander is big and talented and young.  They will one day soon ascend to the absolute best backcourt in the league… They just need the Frontcourt to get there with them.  The Utah Jazz just had a wildly fun time hosting the All-Star game.  From it they got some bright moments out of new star SF Lauri Markkanen.. They also got a win in the Skills challenge with C Walker Kessler, PG Collin Sexton, and SG Jordan Clarkson getting to take a bow for the home crowd.  That is where it ends though.  The Jazz still have a lot of growing to do and they still have lots of NBA first round draft picks to make.  Both these teams could grow very quickly in the next couple of seasons… but this is truly not their year.  They are not ready to be taken out of the oven.  The great betting opportunity here is in knowing just how good that OKC backcourt is… and just how badly it will beat the Jazz backcourt.

The OKC Thunder have won 5 of their last 10 games. They went 5-5 ATS during that run.  Holding true to the form of a young team the3y win or lose seemingly at random with a win AND a loss to the Warriors and a win AND 2 wins and a loss to the Houston Rockets. They are up and down.  They won their last game against the Houston Rockets 133-96… a true, nasty blowout.  In the win they got 29 points & 6 assists from SG Shai Gilgeous Alexander,,, while Center Jaylin Williams landed 8 points and 16 rebounds.  The rest of the scoring was spread around liberally with 13 guys hitting the court and all of them scoring at least a little.  PG Josh Giddey had 13 points, 3 rebounds, and 6 assists but was yanked at the first sign of a blowout and played only 24 minutes total.

The Utah Jazz have won 4 of their last 10 games.  They have been swooning in the standings but still went 5-4-1 ATS.  They are competitive if not exactly a winning team anymore.  They lost their last game to the Memphis Grizzlies 117-111. In the loss they got 28 points, 14 rebounds, and 6 assists from PF Kelly Olynyk which highlights just how fragile moving forward can be for any NBA team.  Olynyk is literally the first gut they would ask to take less money or move… Yet he has had some of his best game with the Jazz over just the last month.  SF Lauri Markkanen did not play in that game as he was resting for health.. But Lauri still managed a full plate of work during the all-star game?... This should show you that the Jazz want to stay in the lottery… If they could land any of the top-4 picks even with a distant shot at it?... They could radically improve very soon.  C Walker Kessler is a face to watch among rookies.  With regular games of 10 points & 14 rebounds with 3 blocks… He is a purely wonderful rookie piece.. He is cost controlled because he was taken with the 22nd pick! And he is currently better than about 15 of the guys taken before him.

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The Thunder are 3rd on scoring with 117.9 points per game, and 13th in rebounds with 43.7 per game.  On defense they rank 20th with 116.2 per game.  They are solidly growing in front of our eyes.  A little bump on defense while not losing any scoring would make this team a contender sooner than later.

The Jazz are 5th in scoring with 117.6 points per game, and 8th in rebounds with 44.7 per game.  On defense they rank 24th while allowing 117.2 points allowed per game.  The basically even scoring and points allowed is why they are losing so much.  The random parts of this team are good offensively but don’t yet make up a quality defensive presence.  They may improve with no moves over time?.. But with some quick trades and draft picks.. They will soon be entirely different.. Especially if they keep hitting on late picks the way they did with Walker Kessler.

Our prediction for Thursday, February 23rd is…. Thunder 123 - Jazz 114

Bet on the Thunder.  They will start eating teams alive with Shai Gilgeous and Josh Giddeey stuffing stats… They need the Williams duo down low to hold their own on defense and the sky's the limit.

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(will update)

Thunder: SG/PG Shai Gilgeous Alexander.  Shai’s first time all-star appearance is over and he has gotten a taste of the good life.  He will come at everybody with a harder spirit from now on. He is no one and done in the All-Star game… be ready to see him there for the rest of this decade at least.  The kid has ascended to a top-ten scorer in the league and will stay there.

Jazz: SF Lauri Markkanen.  The Prince of Finland had an all-star appearance as well.  He held his own and seemed ready to throw the Utah crowd into cheering with every touch.  Lauri took awhile to get there (as did Shai) but he is the real deal.  Watch him rack up some stats.

Thunder: Mark “who am I?” Daigneault

Jazz: Will “Hardly” Hardy