The Utah Jazz will look to begin yet another lengthy winning streak when they host the Charlotte Hornets tonight.
The Jazz saw their nine-game winning streak come to an end last time out against the Los Angeles Clippers, but they're heavy favorites to get back on track, hitting the board with a -12 spread against the visiting Hornets.
Utah has been a fantastic bet recently, but is this too many points to lay in this spot? Find out in our free NBA picks and predictions for Hornets vs. Jazz on Monday, February 22 with tipoff scheduled for 9:00 p.m. ET.
Charlotte Hornets at Utah Jazz betting preview
Injuries
Hornets: Devonte' Graham PG (Doubtful), Caleb Martin SF (Out).
Jazz: No injuries to report.
Find our latest NBA injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Jazz are 12-1 ATS in their last 13 games at home, while the Hornets are 0-3-1 ATS in their last four games against a team with a winning percentage above .600. Find more NBA betting trends for Hornets vs. Jazz.
NBA sharp money and line movement report
By Patrick EversonPointsBet USA pegged Utah a 12.5-point favorite Sunday afternoon, moved to -12 in short order, then mid-morning today went back to -12.5, where the number stands at 6:30 p.m. ET. "Good two-way action on the spread, with 52 percent of bets on Charlotte and 54 percent of money wagered on the Jazz," PointsBet USA's Patrick Eichner said. The total opened 228, peaked at 230.5, bottomed out at 227.5 and is now 228.5. "Some more two-way action, with 59 percent of bets on the Over and 66 percent of handle on the Under."
Check out the full line movement for this gameAgainst the spread (ATS) pick
The Jazz got a bit of a wake-up call in their last game, as a fully healthy Clippers squad gave them all they could handle in a 116-112 loss where they closed as 1-point underdogs.
While the Clippers got the better of the Jazz in that matchup, it was a close game that easily could have gone either way. And what has carried the Jazz to this point hasn’t changed. Utah is the only team in the NBA to rank in the Top 4 in both offensive and defensive rating.
That efficiency on both ends of the floor has made the Jazz one of the best NBA bets in recent history. In a span that has seen the Jazz go 20-2 straight up over their last 22 games, they have also gone a ridiculous 19-3 ATS over that span. That is thanks to an average margin of victory of 13.1 points per game. So, it’s not really a surprise to see Utah as a 12-point home favorite in this one.
While the Hornets are coming off an improbable, Draymond-Green-double-technical-aided, 102-100 victory over the Golden State Warriors, Buzz City has dealt with inconsistency all season.
The Hornets rank 19th in offensive rating, which has led to a 5-4 SU mark in February, which includes a 138-121 home loss to this same Jazz team back on Feb. 5, with Utah easily covering as an 8-point favorite.
While the Jazz gave up a high 121 points (by their standards) in that matchup, they held the Hornets to just 31 percent shooting from 3-point range. Expect the Jazz to turn up the defensive intensity off a loss and cruise to an easy win.
PREDICTION: Jazz -12 (-110)
Over/Under pick
Obviously, these teams crushed the total of 224 when they last met, putting up a whopping 259 total points in that matchup. This time around the number is a little higher, but not much, sitting at 228.
Before the Hornets' last outing against the Warriors, their offense had seen an uptick in production. In Charlotte’s previous nine games they averaged 118.8 points per game, which includes the 121 they put up against the Jazz. Charlotte is an excellent 3-point shooting club and they need to rely on that shooting against a very good defensive Jazz team. That said, the Jazz rank just 10th in opponent 3-point percentage since that last game against Charlotte.
As for the Jazz offense, they are capable of putting up 118 points at any time, and even in a tough matchup against the Clippers they still got 112 points. We’re betting this one goes Over as well.
PREDICTION: Over 228 (-110)
Player prop pick
Another place the Jazz should have a big edge in this matchup is on the glass. Utah leads the NBA in rebounding percentage, while Charlotte ranks a middle-of-the-pack 15th while sitting 18th in opponent rebounds per game.
But if Rudy Gobert’s rebounding total of 14.5 seems a little scary, let me introduce you to Royce O’Neale. The Jazz forward is second on the team in rebounding, snatching 6.8 per contest. His total for this matchup is a much more manageable 6.5, a number he has gone Over in four of his last five games.
PREDICTION: Royce O'Neale Over 6.5 Rebounds (-110)
Hornets vs Jazz betting card
- Jazz -12 (-110)
- Over 228 (-110)
- Royce O'Neale Over 6.5 Rebounds (-110)
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