Free NBA Pick: Jazz vs. Clippers NBA Odds
Looking for Utah Jazz vs. LA Clippers free NBA picks & NBA odds? NBA betting sees the Jazz taking on the Clippers on Saturday, June 12th, 2021 at the Staples Center. Cappers Picks provides complimentary expert handicapping picks on all NBA basketball matchups so stay tuned for more FREE daily NBA hoops predictions like this Jazz Clippers matchup.
2021 NBA Playoffs Handicapping Round 2
(2-0) Utah Jazz vs. LA Clippers (0-2)
Date: Saturday, June 12th
Time: 8:30 PM EST
Venue: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
NBA Moneyline Odds: Jazz +170 | Clippers -173
NBA Betting Odds: Clippers -4.5
NBA Betting Total: 223.5
Saturday, June 12th the Utah Jazz and LA Clippers continue their Western Conference semi-finals at Staples Center. The Jazz held on to win an extremely competitive Game 2 and bring a 2-0 lead into LA.
The Clippers find themselves in precisely the same situation as they were in Round 1, down two games and needing to win four of the next five games. The only difference is this time they’ll be at home for Games 3 and 4.
Utah Jazz
Donovan Mitchell was on fire to start Game 2 scoring 27 points by the half although it did seem like the Clippers figured out a little something defensively as they limited the Jazz star to 10 points in the second half.
Once again the perimeter was an advantage for the Jazz who drained 20 of 39 deep balls (51.3%) making it the sixth playoff game in a row the Jazz have 17 or more makes from behind the arc.
Jordan Clarkson was also hot scoring all 24 reserve points for Utah. Rudy Gobert who collected his third Defensive Player of the Year award delivered a double-double of 13 points and a career playoff best 20 rebounds plus three blocks.
Joe Ingles and Bojan Bogdanovic scored 19 and 16 points respectively as the other double-figure scorers.
One concern occurred in the closing minute of the match as Mitchell appeared to tweak the ankle that kept him off the court in the final 16 games of the season and Game 1 of the Grizzlies first-round series.
It seemed to be inadvertent contact as Paul George was trying to catch Mitchell as he cut to get open. The injury report doesn’t list him as out but with Mike Conley missing both games in Utah with a hamstring injury the Jazz can ill afford to lose Mitchell too.
LA Clippers
It seems like the Clippers have settled on a new Big 3 of Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Reggie Jackson taking the majority of the shots. Jackson led the Clippers in scoring with 29 points.
I’m not sure that doesn’t play into Quin Snyder’s game plan as Jackson attempted the most shots for LA and although he’s been hot if Snyder has to choose between Leonard or Jackson shooting it’s very likely he’d prefer the latter.
Paul George struggled through three quarters (5 of 14) but had a strong 10 point final frame plus he got to the line (9 of 9) allowing him to finish with a double-double of 27 points and 10 rebounds.
Leonard produced 21 points, four rebounds, five assists, and two steals. The trio scored 77 of the 111 points while Clarkson singlehandedly outscored the Clippers bench (24 to 19).
Ty Lue elected may need to revisit Patrick Beverley’s minutes and not just because he missed all five shot attempts. More so because he hasn’t been a factor defensively and frequently made terrible decisions on offense.
Watch for Lue to potentially look to Terance Mann who offered energy and played exceptionally well versus Dallas but was limited to eight and one minutes in the initial two games.
NBA Betting Trends:
- The Jazz are 7-3 in the last 10 head-to-head meetings.
- The Jazz are 6-3-1 ATS in the last 10 meetings between these clubs
- The over/under is 3-6-1 in the last 10 contests between the clubs.
Free Utah Jazz vs. LA Clippers NBA Prediction:
Leonard is due for a quintessential performance but the big question is Paul George who at some point needs to step up and earn his reputation of being a top two-way player and rise to his self-proclaimed ‘Playoff P’ moniker.
Since leaving Indy he’s appeared in 34 playoff matches and shot over 50 percent on just seven occasions. Earning $35.4M this season and his extension will pay him between $39.3M and $48.7M through the next four seasons.
PG told the Clippers fanbase he needed to bring them a title and was using the bubble criticism as motivation. It’s time he delivered on that promise and immense contract!
Another key is the Clippers need to employ better ball and player movement. I suspect that will be a priority in a must-win Game 3 for LA.
4* Free NBA Betting Pick: Clippers ATS
If you’re looking for more NBA picks like this Utah Jazz vs. LA Clippers matchup we’ll be providing 4* free NBA predictions on the blog during the entire 2020-2021 NBA season, and check out our Experts for guaranteed premium & free NBA predictions!
Register here for a FREE NBA Betting Account Now for Daily Free Picks & More Special Offers!