Golden State Warriors vs. Utah Jazz Expert Pick – February 15, 2024

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS VS. UTAH JAZZ EXPERT PICK – FEBRUARY 15, 2024 — Greetings, basketball fans. Welcome back to our NBA coverage here at Godzilla Wins.

After our earlier look at the Bucks vs. Grizzlies, another game on tap from tonight’s slate features the Golden State Warriors (26-26 SU, 28-24 ATS) taking on the Utah Jazz (26-29 SU, 31-24 ATS).

Here is a look at which team has the edge going into this matchup and why.

Tipoff

When: Thursday, February 15, 2024

Time: 9:00 PM ET

Where: Delta Center

Location: Salt Lake City, Utah

TV: KJZZ and NBCS-BA

Related: Bucks vs. Grizzlies Pick & Prediction

Golden State Warriors vs. Utah Jazz Odds

Odds courtesy of DraftKings

Golden State Warriors vs. Utah Jazz — Regular Season Stats & Betting Trends

Can The Warriors Defeat The Jazz For The Second Time In Five Days?

 Golden State Warriors Season Stats:

• Scoring Offense: 119.3 PPG – 6^TH
• Offensive Efficiency: 118.4 points per 100 possessions – 10^TH
• Scoring Defense: 117.8 PPG – 21^ST         
• Defensive Efficiency: 116.9 points per 100 possessions – 20^TH

The bad news for the Golden State Warriors is they are currently in the 10^th spot out west, which means they would barely qualify for the play-in tournament. The good news is they have posted seven wins across their last 10 contests.

This includes a 130-125 loss to the LA Clippers on Wednesday night. Steph Curry scored a team-high 41 points, connecting on nine of his 19 attempts from beyond the arc. He also tallied five assists and four rebounds.

Jonathan Kuminga turned in a solid performance that included 13 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. Klay Thompson – who scored 26 points in his previous outing – finished with 12 points on 4-for-14 shooting from the floor and a woeful 1-for-9 from 3-point range.

The Warriors were ahead by 11 points going into the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, they were outscored to the tune of 44-28 in the final frame. This marked the sixth instance in which Golden State has had a lead of at least 15 points and went on to lose the game.

“Either way, how tonight would have gone, we would say the same thing about tomorrow — we’re trying to keep the streak going and not have any missteps,” Curry said, via CBS Sports. “Now, it’s the same mission but a different mindset of bounding back and just feeling good going into a six-day break. It’s a very, very, very, very important game, to say the least.”

The Warriors cannot afford another subpar effort down the stretch against a Jazz team that is also looking to bounce back from a disappointing loss.

Can The Jazz Snap Their Three-Game Slide?

 Utah Jazz Season Stats:

• Scoring Offense: 117.7 PPG – 11^TH
• Offensive Efficiency: 116.6 points per 100 possessions – 16^TH    
• Scoring Defense: 120.4 PPG – 25^TH
• Defensive Efficiency: 119.2 points per 100 possessions – 25^TH

Meanwhile, the Utah Jazz are on the outside looking in with regards to the playoff race, as they trail the Warriors by 1.5 games for the final play-in spot. Additionally, the Jazz are 4-6 across their last 10 decisions, and they enter this matchup amid a three-game losing streak.

This includes a 138-122 defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers. All of Utah’s starting five reached double-figures in that contest. Collin Sexton led the way with 18 points and three assists.

Lauri Markkanen finished with 16 points and eight boards. Keyonte George contributed 13 points, seven assists, five rebounds, and a pair of steals.

The Jazz hung tough with the Lakers in the first half, trailing by just one point (70-69). However, the Lakers pulled away in the third quarter, outscoring Utah 38-23.

Utah allowed the Lakers to shoot 57.1 percent from the field and 45.2 percent from 3-point range.

“Obviously, their size hurt us in the paint. Anthony Davis had a great game. I thought Hachimura honestly was really the difference, made some tough shots in isolation,” Utah coach Will Hardy said after the game.

For the second straight game, the Jazz will be facing an opponent hoping to get back into the win column. It will be interesting to see if Utah has what it takes to avoid going into the All-Star break on a four-game losing streak.

Now that we have set the table for this matchup, let us look at the betting trends for both sides.

The Spread

The Golden State Warriors opened as a consensus one-point favorite. At the time of this writing, the line has climbed to 1.5 points. Here is a look at how both teams have fared against the spread this season.

• The Warriors are 5-1 ATS in their last six games overall.
• Golden State is a perfect 5-0 ATS in its last five matchups against the Jazz.
• In their last five games against Northwest Division teams, the Warriors are 4-1 against the spread.
• The Jazz are 2-6 ATS in their last eight contests.
• Utah is 1-6 ATS in its last seven games against Pacific Division opponents.
• In their last seven February games, the Jazz are 2-5 against the spread.

While both squads are coming off losses in this Western Conference tilt, going with the road team to cover is the best play here.

Prediction: Golden State Warriors (-1.5)

Over/Under

The projected over/under total for this matchup opened at 239 points. The line has recently climbed to 240 points. Here is why going with the “over” is the smart choice.

• The total has gone OVER five times in the Warriors’ last six contests.
• The OVER total cashed in six times in Golden State’s last seven road games.
• In the Warriors’ last 12 February games, the OVER total hit 10 times.
• The OVER total has prevailed five times in the Jazz’s last seven matchups against Golden State.

Prediction: OVER 240 points

Player Prop Bet

One of the key players to watch for the road team is Stephen Curry. He currently has -140 odds of scoring more than 29.5 points and +110 odds of finishing with less than 29.5 points.

Here is a glance to see how his numbers compare to the projected points total for this matchup.

• During the season, Curry is averaging 28.3 points per outing.
• In 23 road contests this season, he is averaging 27.3 PPG.
• Curry has played against Western Conference teams 32 times this season. In those contests, he is averaging 27.5 points per outing.
• In 11 matchups against Northwest Division opponents, Curry averages 26.2 points per game.
• Over his last 10 outings, Curry is averaging 33.9 points per game, while exceeding the points total for this matchup six times during that stretch.

Based on his recent body of work – which includes scoring 30-plus points in three of his last five outings — going with the “over” for Curry is the smart choice here.

Prediction: Stephen Curry OVER 29.5 points

The key player to watch for the home team is Collin Sexton. He currently has -135 odds of scoring more than 18.5 points and +105 odds of finishing with less than 18.5 points.

Let us look closer to see how his numbers stack up against the projected points total for this matchup.

• On the season, Sexton is averaging 17.6 points per outing.
• In 25 home contests, he is averaging 19 PPG.
• Sexton has played against Western Conference teams 33 times this season. In those contests, he is averaging 16.7 points per outing.
• In 11 matchups against Pacific Division opponents, Sexton is averaging 16.8 points per game.
• Over his last 10 outings, Sexton has averaged 17.7 points per contest, exceeding the points total for this matchup six times during that stretch.

Prediction: Collin Sexton UNDER 18.5 points