Oklahoma City Thunder vs Utah Jazz Prediction, Preview and Odds - 01/18/2024

Game Time: 9:00 pm ET, Thursday, January 18, 2024

Venue:  Delta Center, Salt Lake City, UT

Where to Watch:  KJZZ

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Thunder -3.5, Jazz +3.5; Over/Under:  245.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Thunder -3.5, Jazz +3.5; Over/Under:  245.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Thunder -3.5, Jazz +3.5; Over/Under:  245.5 points

Oklahoma City Thunder:  27-13 (2nd place, Northwest Division)

Utah Jazz:  22-20 (4th place, Northwest Division)

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Oklahoma City Thunder:  6-4 last 10

Utah Jazz:  9-1 last 10

The Thunder are entering this game with a 27-13 record overall and they are 11-8 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game on a 2 game losing streak with losses coming against the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers in their last game. Jalen Williams led the team in points in that game with 25 while Luguentz Dort and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander each were next on the team with 19 points. Jalen Williams led the team in assists in that game with 7 while Isaiah Joe and Kenrich Williams each led the team in rebounds with 6. They were 50.6% from the field, 47.1% from 3-point range, and 85% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 121.9 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 113.7 PPG against them. The Thunder have an ATS record of 26-13-1 this season and their O/U record is 24-16.

The Jazz are entering this game with a 22-20 record overall and they are 15-5 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game on a 6 game winning streak with wins coming against the Philadelphia 76ers, the Milwaukee Bucks, the Denver Nuggets, the Toronto Raptors, the Los Angeles Lakers, and Indiana Pacers in their last game. Lauri Markkanen led the team in points in that game with 32 while Collin Sexton was next on the team with 30 points. Kris Dunn led the team in assists in that game with 6 while Lauri Markkanen led the team in rebounds with 10. They were 55.6% from the field, 44% from 3-point range, and 88.6% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 116.8 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 118.2 PPG against them. The Jazz have an ATS record of 25-16-1 this season and their O/U record is 22-19-1.

The current betting odds have the Jazz listed as a 3.5 point underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Jazz have looked good in their games this season with their 22-20 record overall which has them surging up the standings in the West, trying to get in a playoff spot. They didn't have a great start to the season but their young group of players have looked a lot better on the court together in their games lately. The Jazz have looked great on their home court all season with their 15-5 home record and they have all the momentum on their side with 6 wins in a row now. Meanwhile, the Thunder have looked great in their games this season with their 27-13 record overall which has them in 2nd place of the West. They haven't looked as good in their road games though with their 11-8 road record. They also haven't looked great in their games lately with 2 losses in a row now and they are going to struggle in the altitude here as they have already been struggling on this road trip. The Thunder do have a better team this year but this is a bad situation for them on the road when they haven't looked good lately while the Jazz have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA over the last 2 weeks. The Jazz have the potential to pull off an upset win with how good they have looked lately. The best way to place a bet here is on the Jazz to cover the spread in this game. 

Thunder Jazz Prediction:  Our NBA Pick for Thursday, January 18, 2024 (9:00 pm ET start time) is Jazz 123 Thunder 119.

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Oklahoma City Thunder: 26-13 ATS in all games. 17-9 ATS as a favorite. 6-1 ATS vs. division opponents. 8-4 ATS after a game where they failed to cover the spread. 8-3 OVER as a road favorite. 22-10 OVER after failing to cover the spread in 2 or more consecutive games. 

Utah Jazz: 5-11 ATS after scoring 125 points or more 2 straight games. 3-6 ATS after playing 2 consecutive home games. 6-0 OVER off a home win by 10 points or more. 9-5 OVER off a home win. 28-19 OVER after successfully covering the spread in 6 or more consecutive games.

Oklahoma City Thunder:  None.

Utah Jazz:  None.

“We gave ourselves every chance to win that game and they outplayed us in the final 3 1/2 minutes. That's how you learn about ourselves. It's exciting to know that we're drawing teams' best punches out of them.” - Mark Daigneault after his team’s loss against the LA Clippers in their game on Tuesday.

“He’s playing really, really physically when he has the ball. We’ve had a couple of games where he’s been able to play against the switch and use his physicality and size against smaller players.” - Will Hardy after his team’s win against the Pacers in their game on Tuesday.

PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

SG Josh Giddey

SF Luguentz Dort

PF Jalen Williams

C Chet Holmgren

PG Kris Dunn

SG Collin Sexton

SF Simone Fontecchio

PF Lauri Markkanen

C John Collins

PPG: S. Gilgeous-Alexander (31)

APG: S. Gilgeous-Alexander (6.3)

Reb/G: C. Holmgren (7.3)

PPG: L. Markkanen (24)

APG: J. Clarkson (5.2)

Reb/G: L. Markkanen (8.8)

Coaches:

Oklahoma City Thunder: Mark Daigneault (4th season)

Utah Jazz: Will Hardy (2nd season)