by Chuck Sommers
Tuesday, Feb 28, 2023
Time: 9 p.m. ET
Venue: Vivint Arena, Salt Lake City, UT
Where to watch: ATTSN-RM, BSSW-SA
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Jazz -9
FanDuel: Jazz -9
BetMGM: Jazz -9.5
Caesars: Jazz -9
Season record
Spurs: 14-47
Jazz: 31-31
The All-Star break is over in the NBA and it's time to get on the horse and finish up the final home stretch of the season. Big trades, uncertainty, and absolute hilarity across the board all gearing up for the final home stretch of this season. You know who is also gearing up for the home stretch? Our champion handicappers at bigal.com who are ready to win their way all the way to the playoffs. There's a lot going on that we can't wait for in these final 23-25 games and you're going to need every bit of hardcore analysis you can get from this group. Just in the last 30 days we've had some big winners. Doc's Sports has posted a 16-6-0 record in the last month (+$9,200). AAA Sports has killed it at 17-8-0, and then Al McMordie with a dominant 20-11-1 mark over the last 30 days. Everything you need to know and more about what's going on this league and sports in general will be a fun finish to the end. All you have to do is go to bigal.com and find our Best Bets page and put forth something that only you think is good. Here's a hint: Go to the bigal.com website and happy betting!
Spurs - Jazz preview, prediction and analysis
The Utah Jazz will not go away. No matter what they try do, no matter how hard they try to sell, they are still in a playoff spot. And not only that, they’re chilling at .500 with a chance to get a game above that when they host the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday at Vivint Arena.
The Jazz came back from the All-Star with two wins over the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Spurs. Yes, this is the continuation of a baseball series with the Spurs, in which the Jazz won 118-102 over San Antonio on Saturday.
Fresh off his All-Star appearance, Lauri Markkanen had a game-high 27 points on 9 of 17 shooting, and Kris Dunn had 15 points off the bench to help the Jazz avoid a collapse against one of the worst teams in the NBA. Utah shot 46.7 percent from the floor an went 22 of 28 from the free-throw line.
“We finally had our spacing right and got good looks after that,” Markkanen said. “But it was defense that was the difference maker, just getting out in transition and running to get into a good rhythm.”
The Jazz are on a six-game unbeaten streak against the spread, going 4-0-2 in the last six and winning in three of the last four. It’s quite incredible what this team has been able to do after moving on from Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert before the season. They are defying all expectations right now and are only a couple of games away from getting out of the play-in. If they can keep this consistency up, Salt Lake City is going to lit heading into the playoffs.
One place that’s more dim than lit is San Antonio, who are somehow not the worst team in basketball even after losing 16 games in a row. The Spurs have been able to stay close in a lot of these games, but the wins haven’t been there and you have to wonder if they will ever show up in that regard.
All five starters scored in double figures, highlighted by the 22 from Jeremy Sochan, as the Spurs shot just 39.2 percent from the floor and went 9 of 34 from 3-point range. Keldon Johnson had 18 points on 9 of 22 shooting, and Zach Collins had 15 points and tow blocks in 26 minutes.
“We’re obviously not a 48-minute team,” San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. “Just not mature enough to understand you got to keep it up. It’s a game of consistency and execution, keeping your competitiveness up.”
God bless Pop. Even if he doesn’t retire soon, he can’t be going out on his own swored. Maybe if they want to give him one more run, getting him to a contender would be fantastic. Alas, who in the world knows?
The Spurs are just 1-15 against the spread in the last 16. I have no words for that other than good lord, someone go save Pop.
Prediction
I just can’t bring myself to think that the Spurs can win one on the road after the way this losing streak has unfolded. This is a perfect opportunity for the Jazz to climb up the standings and make some sort of statement. Jazz 120, Spurs 105
Betting trends
Spurs are 22-37 ATS as an underdog this season.
Spurs are 10-21 ATS on the road this season.
Spurs are 3-12 ATS off 2 straight road losses this season.
Jazz are 8-13 ATS as a home favorite this season.
Jazz are 21-9 ATS in February the last 3 seasons.
Projected starting lineup
Spurs:
PG: Devonte' Graham
SG: Malaki Branham
SF: Keldon Johnson
PF: Jeremy Sochan
C: Zach Collins
Jazz:
PG: Kris Dunn
SG: Talen Horton-Tucker
SF: Lauri Markkanen
PF: Kelly Olynyk
C: Walker Kessler
Injury report
Spurs: Romeo Langford (thigh, out), Devin Vassell (knee, out), Tre Jones (foot, questionable), Khem Birch (knee, out), Isaiah Roby (ankle, out)
Jazz: Collin Sexton (hamstring, out), Jordan Clarkson (thumb, out)
Spurs: Romeo Langford (thigh, out), Devin Vassell (knee, out), Tre Jones (foot, questionable), Khem Birch (knee, out), Isaiah Roby (ankle, out)
Jazz: Collin Sexton (hamstring, out), Jordan Clarkson (thumb, out)
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert basketball picks today. And if you enjoyed this San Antonio Spurs - Utah Jazz prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NBA projections and previews.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
