Filip Tomic
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A new week begins in the NBA with an 8-game slate coming our way. My focus is on the Utah Jazz vs LA Clippers clash, you can watch it live on NBA TV from 10 pm ET, right after the Golden State Warriors vs New Orleans Pelicans game. I’ve prepared a Same-Game Parlay which is available below.
Don’t forget to check our NBA Predictions for picks on all 8 games being played tonight, but let’s jump into the Jazz vs Clippers match-up!
LA Clippers 1-10 win margin (+175)
Lauri Markkanen under 20.5 points (-104)
Jordan Clarkson over 2.5 made threes (-146)
Parlay odds: +710
LA Clippers 1-10 win margin over Utah Jazz (+175)
The Clippers are an interesting team. They rank dead last in points per game on offense but have the 2nd-best defense in terms of opponent points per game. They clearly rely on their stingy defense to shut down opponents and pull out wins, and that strategy should work in this game against a Jazz team missing their point guard and main facilitator.
The return of Kawhi Leonard a few nights ago should also help the LA offense get going — they just scored 119 in their last game against San Antonio. Utah is on a 2-game win streak, but with Mike Conley out their offensive production should take a big hit here. The Jazz are just 6-5 on the road this season, and they have covered the spread just once in 6 meetings with LA. Expect a close game, but in the end, the Clippers should pull it out thanks to their suffocating defense.
Be sure to check out our full Utah Jazz vs Los Angeles Clippers predictions
Lauri Markkanen under 20.5 points (-104)
Markkanen has faced the Clippers 6 times in his career and his highest total in those 6 games was 18 points, which came earlier this season. Markkanen isn’t the only player to struggle against this team, as the Clippers are in the top 10 or even top 5 in most defensive categories. Over their last 3 games, Los Angeles is allowing an average of just 97 points per game, the lowest number in the entire NBA. Kawhi Leonard returning to the lineup adds another dimension, even if he isn’t at 100% yet.
Markkanen did go over this line in his last 2 games, but prior to that, he was on a 3-game streak where he finished under, with his team losing all 3 games. The math checks out — when Markkanen struggles, so do the Jazz. That’s exactly what I’m expecting tonight.
Monday’s NBA mega parlay is available at +882 odds!
Jordan Clarkson over 2.5 made threes (-146)
With Conley out of the lineup, Clarkson and Collin Sexton will get extra responsibilities tonight at the point guard position for the Jazz. Clarkson enjoyed that role in his last game, where he scored 28 against the Blazers. He isn’t your typical point guard — shooting comes first to him and that’s why I have him scoring at least 3 threes here. Over his last 10 games, he’s improved his percentage from downtown by 3% and against the Clippers in the 1st meeting of the season, he knocked down 6 of 9 threes.
I wouldn’t call it a weakness of the Clippers, but defending the three-ball is something they aren’t elite at when playing at home. They rank only 16th in opponent three-point percentage allowing 35.6% of shots from downtown at Crypto.com Arena. Fingers crossed Clarkson will be able to take advantage of that.
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