PREMIUM
Rogers' Thursday THRASHER >> AWESOME 50-27-3 L80 NBA Sides!
(NBA) Utah vs. Dallas,
Point Spread: 3.50 | -113.00 Dallas (Home)
Result: Win
Point Spread: 3.50 | -113.00 Dallas (Home)
Result: Win
The set-up: The Jazz have won the first three contests of their four-game season series with the Mavs and go for a sweep tonight in Dallas. Utah is now 34-19 (four games up on the Thunder in the Northwest) after extended its winning streak to four with a 127-94 win at New Orleans on Wednesday (Jazz are now also just three games behind third-place Houston in the Western Conference). The 20-32 Mavs put together a recent 9-3 run which got them back into playoff consideration but the team's current two-game slide has halted the team's mojo.
Utah: Veteran Joe Johnson (8.6) came off the bench to score 27 in the win over the Pelicans, with PG George Hill scoring 19 and SF Gordon Hayward adding 17 points. Hayward (22.1-5.8-3.5) made the All Star squad and many believe that center Gobert (12.9 & 12.6 plus 2.53 blocks per game) deserved a spot. Hill (17.7 & 4.1 APG) finally is over his nagging injuries, having started 16 straight games and his presence is no small thing, as the Jazz are 12-4 since he got back in the lineup on a regular basis. "We're playing pretty good basketball right now," head coach Quin Snyder said. "Hopefully we'll continue it. We haven't been able to sustain that yet this year. We've had some moments where we've been pretty good. We've had some moments where we've won and not been good." The Jazz are the NBA's stingiest team, allowing 95.4 PPG, while holding opponents to 43.5% on FGs (ranks 2nd).
Dallas: PG Deron Williams (toe) likely will miss his eighth straight game but Dallas hasn't missed a beat as Yogi Ferrell has scored in double digits in five straight games. He's averaging 16.3 PPG and 4.5 APG in his six-game Dallas career, including a 32-point performance against the Trail Blazers last Friday. He was originally signed to a 10-day contract but on Tuesday, was given a two-year deal. Barnes (20.2 & 5.3) has been the team's best player all season, Nowitzki (13.1 & 5.8) now seems healthy and SG Matthews (15.3) is beginning to contribute regularly.
The pick: Utah goes for a four-game series sweep but the last time that happened was back in the 1998-99 season. Yes, the Jazz have won all three meeting this year and their last two visits to Dallas but the Mavericks had won the previous 10 matchups and 24 of 27! Make Dallas an 8* play.
Utah: Veteran Joe Johnson (8.6) came off the bench to score 27 in the win over the Pelicans, with PG George Hill scoring 19 and SF Gordon Hayward adding 17 points. Hayward (22.1-5.8-3.5) made the All Star squad and many believe that center Gobert (12.9 & 12.6 plus 2.53 blocks per game) deserved a spot. Hill (17.7 & 4.1 APG) finally is over his nagging injuries, having started 16 straight games and his presence is no small thing, as the Jazz are 12-4 since he got back in the lineup on a regular basis. "We're playing pretty good basketball right now," head coach Quin Snyder said. "Hopefully we'll continue it. We haven't been able to sustain that yet this year. We've had some moments where we've been pretty good. We've had some moments where we've won and not been good." The Jazz are the NBA's stingiest team, allowing 95.4 PPG, while holding opponents to 43.5% on FGs (ranks 2nd).
Dallas: PG Deron Williams (toe) likely will miss his eighth straight game but Dallas hasn't missed a beat as Yogi Ferrell has scored in double digits in five straight games. He's averaging 16.3 PPG and 4.5 APG in his six-game Dallas career, including a 32-point performance against the Trail Blazers last Friday. He was originally signed to a 10-day contract but on Tuesday, was given a two-year deal. Barnes (20.2 & 5.3) has been the team's best player all season, Nowitzki (13.1 & 5.8) now seems healthy and SG Matthews (15.3) is beginning to contribute regularly.
The pick: Utah goes for a four-game series sweep but the last time that happened was back in the 1998-99 season. Yes, the Jazz have won all three meeting this year and their last two visits to Dallas but the Mavericks had won the previous 10 matchups and 24 of 27! Make Dallas an 8* play.
