Trail Blazers vs Jazz NBA Handicapping
By all rights the Utah Jazz should be deader than a lizard buried in the Utah desert.
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Portland Trail Blazers (33-40) at Utah Jazz (38-36)
Monday, April 1
EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City
9 p.m. EST
Spread – Jazz -9
O/U – 199.5
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A week ago they were on the outside and looking in at a playoff scene that included the Los Angeles Lakers. But four straight Utah wins, parlayed with Laker slip-ups in Golden State and Milwaukee, have resulted in the teams trading places.
Both Utah and LA stand at 38-36 as the coaches use the whip heading down the home stretch for the final eight games on the regular season, but the Jazz own the tie-breaker.
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All of which makes tonight’s game at home against the Trail Blazers vitally important for the Jazz. Five of the last eight are in Salt Lake City, but there is a real tester coming up Wednesday at home against Denver. There are also toughies at Golden State and Memphis, plus a home game against Oklahoma City.
So the Jazz are hardly counting any chickens as they start the final 2½-week push for a playoff spot.
Utah’s recent spurt came out of thin air, and followed a dreadful stretch in which the Jazz had seemingly played themselves out of the playoffs by losing 4 in a row, 5 of 6 and 9 of 11. But most of that damage was done on the road, where the Jazz have lost 27 of 38. Those numbers are reversed at home. [ad-6571516]
And what warms the heart of coach Tyrone Corbin the most is that the Jazz have been able to spread around the sugar in their recent spurt. Randy Foye went off for 28 points (making 8 of 9 3-pointers) in Utah’s win over Brooklyn on Saturday.
Before that, Mo Williams abused Portland for 28, Al Jefferson and Gordon Hayward each had 25 in a win over Phoenix, and in the Philadelphia game which started the streak 7 different players scored in double figures.
Portland, meanwhile, is coming off a killer week in which the Blazers have lost 4 straight and are alive only mathematically for a playoff berth.
The schedule toughened up (losses to Oklahoma City, Brooklyn, Utah and Golden State) at just the wrong time, and the city’s only pro sports franchise will now be headed back to the lottery.
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A week ago the line would be in a 2- to 3-point range, but the fortunes of both teams have flipped. Portland will again be without its centerpiece, LaMarcus Aldridge, who is out with a sprained ankle.
The Blazers’ offense has sagged with Aldridge, and in 3 of the 4 losses the starters have put the Blazers in a deep hole that the second unit hasn’t been able to get out of.
Liking Utah and the over in this one.
