PREMIUM
Rogers' 10* Tuesday BLOWOUT >> SIZZLING 12-2 Past 2 Days!
(NBA) Utah vs. Golden State,
12/20/2016 5:30 PM, Score: 74 - 104
Point Spread: -11.50 | -115.00 Golden State (Home)
Result: Win
Point Spread: -11.50 | -115.00 Golden State (Home)
Result: Win
The set-up: The 18-10 Utah Jazz will test the 24-4 Golden State Warriors tonight in Oakland. The Jazz are the NBA's best defensive team, ranking first in both points allowed (94.6 PPG)a and opponents' FG percentage (42.4%), while the Warriors are the NBA's highest-scoring (117.9 PPG) and best-shooting (49.8%) team.
Utah: The Jazz have allowed fewer than 90 points in three of their last four games, highlighted by holding the Memphis Grizzlies to 30.1 percent shooting in an 82-73 triumph on Sunday. "These are big games for us," Jazz star Gordon Hayward said after Saturday's win. "In some ways, every game is a big game for us out in the West. But this is an important week to us. We have to play well in games like these if we want to get where we want to be." Hayward (22.4-6.3-3.9) is the team's best player but Jazz center Rudy Gobert (12.3 & 11.6) seems to think he deserves some recognition as well. He went 9-of-9 from the floor and finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds for his seventh straight double-double against Memphis. "To be honest, right now, I think it's me," Gobert told ESPN, when asked who was the best center in the league. "But it's a long season. I just try to take every game as a challenge. The hardest thing is to do it [for] the full season."
Golden State: The Warriors are coming off one of their most impressive performances of the season. They shot 58.6 percent from the floor and held the Portland Trail Blazers to 39.5 percent in a 135-90 win on Saturday. The 45-point margin of victory was the largest in the NBA this season. Golden State might boast the best player in the league at more than one position, and Kevin Durant is looking like the best forward in the game and a perfect fit for the team of late. Durant scored 24 points on 11-of-13 shooting on Saturday and is fully embracing the rapid ball movement that makes the team successful. "There have been moments throughout the season where I wouldn't say you're surprised, but it's kind of just 'Wow' moments where you appreciate the talent on this squad all the way through," two-time reigning MVP Stephen Curry told reporters.
The pick: The Warriors won 106-99 win on Dec. 8 in Salt Lake City and have now won 12 of their last 13 regular-season matchups with the Jazz. Utah hasn't won in Oakland since April 7, 2013, which has been followed by six consecutive Golden State home wins by an average of 18.2 points per game. make the Warriors a 10* play.
Utah: The Jazz have allowed fewer than 90 points in three of their last four games, highlighted by holding the Memphis Grizzlies to 30.1 percent shooting in an 82-73 triumph on Sunday. "These are big games for us," Jazz star Gordon Hayward said after Saturday's win. "In some ways, every game is a big game for us out in the West. But this is an important week to us. We have to play well in games like these if we want to get where we want to be." Hayward (22.4-6.3-3.9) is the team's best player but Jazz center Rudy Gobert (12.3 & 11.6) seems to think he deserves some recognition as well. He went 9-of-9 from the floor and finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds for his seventh straight double-double against Memphis. "To be honest, right now, I think it's me," Gobert told ESPN, when asked who was the best center in the league. "But it's a long season. I just try to take every game as a challenge. The hardest thing is to do it [for] the full season."
Golden State: The Warriors are coming off one of their most impressive performances of the season. They shot 58.6 percent from the floor and held the Portland Trail Blazers to 39.5 percent in a 135-90 win on Saturday. The 45-point margin of victory was the largest in the NBA this season. Golden State might boast the best player in the league at more than one position, and Kevin Durant is looking like the best forward in the game and a perfect fit for the team of late. Durant scored 24 points on 11-of-13 shooting on Saturday and is fully embracing the rapid ball movement that makes the team successful. "There have been moments throughout the season where I wouldn't say you're surprised, but it's kind of just 'Wow' moments where you appreciate the talent on this squad all the way through," two-time reigning MVP Stephen Curry told reporters.
The pick: The Warriors won 106-99 win on Dec. 8 in Salt Lake City and have now won 12 of their last 13 regular-season matchups with the Jazz. Utah hasn't won in Oakland since April 7, 2013, which has been followed by six consecutive Golden State home wins by an average of 18.2 points per game. make the Warriors a 10* play.
