Jazz at Lakers: Prediction, point spread, odds, over/under, betting picks
The Los Angeles Lakers return to the floor on Wednesday night as they look to avoid a four-game losing streak. But doing so will likely require one of their best games of the season, without either superstar big man Anthony Davis or starting point guard Dennis Schröder, as the Lakers host the NBA’s best team so far this season, the Utah Jazz. We will give you all of the information from BetMGM so you can make the smartest bets possible.
Tonight’s game tips off at 10 p.m. EST and will be televised nationally on ESPN.
The Lakers have lost their last three games, all at home and now face the best team in the league. The Jazz have a habit of blowing teams out this season and while the Lakers are the defending champs, they don’t look like that right now.
The lines, courtesy of BetMGM
Point spread: Jazz -8.5
Moneyline: Lakers +300 / Jazz -375
Over-under: 218.5
Place your legal, online sports bets in VA, CO, IA, IN, NJ, PA, TN and WV at BetMGM.
Advice and prediction
The Lakers are in a bad way right now. They’ve shown flashes of good play over the past week but they’ve been unable to sustain it. And the problems for the Lakers when LeBron James goes to the bench have gotten even worse without Dennis Schröder or Anthony Davis in the lineup.
Meanwhile, the Jazz boasts one of the best bench units in the league and this season’s 6th Man of the Year frontrunner, former Laker Jordan Clarkson. There is almost no drop-off when the Jazz bench comes in and they’ve gotten great play from Derrick Favors on the second unit to spell likely Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert.
The Jazz has been a machine this season and the Lakers are currently undergoing serious maintenance. While tonight could be a night for James to go into his MVP bag against the league’s best team to help steal a win in a nationally televised game, the logical move here is to take the points.
But this logical move comes with one gambler’s caveat: you may never see a LeBron James team getting 3-to-1 on the money line for the rest of the season. That is a strong attraction for those of you looking to maximize value on your bet. Even though the Jazz have been dominant and the Lakers look sluggish, LeBron creating open 3-pointers and the Lakers getting hot enough to beat Utah is not much of a stretch.
But still, the most likely relief to the Lakers issues will come this week when Dennis Schröder clears the health and safety protocols. We recommend laying the 8.5 and taking Utah, who has been a wagon against the spread this season.
Prediction: Jazz 125, Lakers 113
