by James Q
Saturday, Feb 25, 2023NBA Basketball: San Antonio Spurs VS Utah Jazz Pick and Predictions 02/25/2023
Game: 9:10 PM ET, Saturday, February 25th, 2023
Venue: Vivint Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah
TV: NBA League Pass
Season Record
Spurs: 14-46, 14th place Western Conference
Jazz: 30-31, 10th place Western Conference
Opening NBA odds at USA Sportsbooks
BetMGM: Point Spread: Jazz -10.5, O/U 240.5
PointsBet: Point Spread: Jazz -9.5, O/U 241
Fanduel: Point Spread: Jazz -9.5, O/U 241
Starting Five:
Spurs: PG Devonte Graham, SG Malaki Branham, SF Keldon Johnson, PF Jeremy Sochan, C Zach Collins
Jazz: PG Kris Dunn, SG Jordan Clarkson, SF Lauri Markkanen, PF Kelly Olynyk, C Walker Kessler
A Western Conference NBA matchup of a really BAD team against a mediocre yet fun team to watch. Both squads will be missing a couple of starters to the injury list… But for a team like the Spurs that makes little difference since the starters aren’t very good. The Utah Jazz will have both SF Lauri Markkanen and C Walker Kessler putting on a show for the home crowd… the great betting opportunity here is in trying to find any justification for the Spurs being able to cover this HUGE spread… anything… any glimmer of hope? Normally when betting NBA games a 10 point spread is a clear underdog play… but when these spreads hit teams that are clearly “tanking”... anything can happen.
The San Antonio Spurs have won ZERO of their last 10 games. Zilch. Nada. AND they only went 1-9 ATS in their last 10 games… The only spread they were able to cover was a +16 against the Cavaliers!! They lost that game by only 8 points… In San Antonio these days an 8 point loss is almost as a good as a win! They lost their last game against the Dallas mavericks 142-116… a 26 point loss! In that game SF Keldon Johnson (possibly the only Spur that will be kept in the coming purge) scored 22 points and SG Malaki Branham scored 23 points… but there was no defense to speak of top to bottom.
The Utah Jazz have won 5 of their last 10 games. Going 5-3-2 ATS during the stretch. They last beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 120-119,,, in a knock down, drag out overtime battle. In the win the Jazz got 43 points & 10 rebounds from SF Lauri Markkanen, 24 points & 6 assists from PG Jordan Clarkson, and 7 points, 18 rebounds, and 7 BLOCKED SHOTS from C Walker Kessler. This trio is devastating against bad teams like the Spurs… when they get Colin Sexton healthy and find a slight upgrade at Power Forward? They will have a very bright future.
Doc’s Sports is 16-5 in NBA picks the last 30 days for a profit of $10,400!! You should be following a handicapper all season long! Get Doc’s Sports picks right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers. BigAl.com can help you with all your bets from NCAAF, NFL, MLB, NHL… get positive value from all your bets! Remember: winning a bet is way more fun than making a bet!
San Antonio Spurs VS Utah Jazz and Predictions Preview and Analysis
The Spurs are 24th in scoring with 112.5 points per game, and 17th in rebounds with 43.1 per game. On defense they rank 30th (DEAD LAST) while allowing 122.9 points per game. They are literally -10.5 points per every game they play! That makes this 9.5 to 10.5 point spread a solid bet on most nights.
The Utah Jazz are 5th in scoring with 117.6 points per game, and 8th in rebounds with 44.9 per game. On defense they rank 22nd while allowing 117.3 points per game. The defense needs improvement.
San Antonio Spurs VS Utah Jazz Prediction
Our prediction for Saturday, February 25th is…. Jazz 120 - Spurs 99
Bet on the Jazz. The Spurs have lost 8 of their last 120 games by 10 points or more. If this was European Soccer they would be relegated to a lesser league until they showed enough improvement to rejoin the Bigs.
Don't miss our champion handicappers' Free NBA Picks and Premium Selections every day here at Bigal.com. Just click on Shop Picks for our Spurs/Jazz preview, be sure to bookmark Bigal.com for our daily Game Previews and Predictions. Get help with all your college football picks, National Football league, NCAA brackets, or any prop bets on your season schedule.
NBA Betting Trends
Utah is 2-1 ATS versus the Spurs in Utah the last 3 seasons.
The Spurs are 14-28 ATS when the total is 230 or greater this season.
Utah is 10-3 ATS against Southwest Division opponents.
Players To Watch
Spurs: It does not matter. No player on this Spurs roster is worth getting invested in. They are fully tanking and hoping for Victor Wembanyama when the dust clears on the NBA Draft Lottery. Every Spurs player from this point on is interchangeable in the coming “Full Build”... whether the team lands the #1 pick or not. The Spurs gave away Dejounte Murray AND Derrick White in the last 18 months so they could build an entire new team.
Jazz: SF Lauri Markkanen. The pride of Finland is a new and true star in the NBA. He was a first time all-star this year and he is displaying enough talent to buy his stock now and watch it climb over the next few years. He is leading a fun Jazz team that is another draft away from being a playoff team.
COACH
Celtics: Joe “right place right time” Mazzula
Sixers: Doc “Still Grinding!” Rivers
James Q
About the Author:
James Q. has been involved with sports and gambling his entire life. A former division 1 scholarship basketball player, James understands sports (and especially basketball) inside-and-out. Following his basketball playing days, James parlayed his gambling skills into a semi-pro poker career. James resides in Los Angeles, and especially loves the Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Rams, and Los Angeles Dodgers. And when he isn't betting on sports (and writing about it), James can be found performing stand-up comedy on the Sunset Strip.
