Basketball action on the Utah Jazz has been successful this season and that may continue on Saturday night as the Jazz host the New Orleans Hornets. Utah has really played well in this series against the Hornets, winning eight of the last ten and covering the NBA betting line in seven of the ten.
Basketball betting could get some action on this game since it can be seen on NBA-TV. The Hornets have not had much success at Utah and the situation doesn’t necessarily help them as they are playing the last game of a five-game road trip. The only positive for the Hornets is that the Jazz are in the second half of a back-to-back having played last night at Phoenix.
Somehow the Hornets pulled out a 91-87 win at Utah earlier this season but this is a far different New Orleans team than it was a couple of months ago. The Hornets don’t have Chris Paul and they are not in the playoff race anymore. The result that occurred last month when the teams met in New Orleans seems more likely. In that game the Jazz won 98-90.
The Hornets are about a .500 teams vs. the basketball betting odds on the road so they at least can be competitive. It is very unlikely they will win straight up at Utah though so if you take the Hornets you have to hope they get a backdoor cover. The Hornets simply don’t do anything particularly well. Without Chris Paul they don’t have a go-to player and the Hornets don’t play much defense. Darren Collison has filled in extremely well for Paul but it has not mattered as the Hornets have not won very often.
Utah has been superb at home this season in terms of basketball betting. They have one of the best records in the league vs. the basketball betting point spread in home games. Actually, the Jazz have been very good at home and on the road this season. The Jazz have moved up to 5th best in the league in terms of points per game and their defense is respectable at 12th best in the NBA. Utah has a lot of offensive weapons led by Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams. The Jazz should have too much for New Orleans in this game. The only concern if you take Utah in NBA betting would be that they did have to play last night in Phoenix so they are playing with no rest.