Lakers vs Jazz Picks and Predictions: Russell Torches Injury-Riddled Utah

The hype around the Los Angeles Lakers is reaching peak levels as the postseason draws near.

With Los Angeles on a three-game winning streak and picking up victories in six of its last seven outings (5-2 against the spread), the team has pulled itself into the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference and is pushing to avoid the play-in tournament — just half a game out of sixth place.

The Lakers bring that momentum to Salt Lake City to tangle with the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night, set as sizable road favorites.

Utah has only one win in its last seven contests (4-3 ATS) and has slid out of contention for a spot in the play-in tournament, sitting 12th in the West. The Jazz have several key players either out or set as questionable for tonight’s tilt with L.A.

I break down the spread and Over/Under total for this matchup and give my best NBA picks and predictions for Lakers vs. Jazz on April 4.

Lakers vs Jazz best odds

Lakers vs Jazz picks and predictions

The Los Angeles Lakers have their legions of fans (me included) beaming right now, but the one thing that could derail this train is injuries to L.A.’s key players.

The Purple and Gold faithful held their collective breath last time out when guard D’Angelo Russell was pulled from Sunday’s game with Houston after only 15 minutes of floor time.

According to head coach Darvin Ham, the decision to sit Russell was purely precautionary as he was nursing a sore foot and the Lakers had the game in hand. Ham told the media that Russell could have continued if they needed him to.

Russell, who finished with just six points in the win over the Rockets, has a point total of 16.5 (Over -102) against the Utah Jazz tonight. Russell put up 20 points per game in an abbreviated March, in which he missed time with an ankle injury. However, in the three games with both he and LeBron James on the floor, Russell has produced point totals of just six, 12, and 17.

Tuesday’s player projections for Russell’s scoring output are kind of all over the place, but I have him recording 16.7 points with a ceiling as high as 19 points against one of the worst defenses in the NBA. Adding to the Jazz’s issues on that end of the floor is missing center Walker Kessler, who patrols the paint and blocks or changes so many interior attempts.

Russell likes to drive to the rim and score points in the paint, and with Kessler sidelined and potentially another 7-footer missing in Lauri Markkanen, the route to the rim will be much smoother for the Lakers guard.

Add in a potential for LeBron (questionable) to sit out the first of back-to-back games (Los Angeles plays the Clippers back in L.A. tomorrow), and Russell would see his touches spike. Before James returned in late March, Russell was averaging more than 21.5 points per night for Los Angeles.

My best bet: D’Angelo Russell Total Points Over 16.5 (-102)

Lakers vs Jazz spread analysis

With the NBA pushing pause on Monday, odds for this game hit the board as early as Sunday night. Los Angeles opened as low as 4.5-point road chalk in Utah, but with the Jazz owning a loaded injury report and the media hyping up the Lakers’ recent surge, the market swung as many as 4.5 points with Los Angeles listed as big as a 9-point favorite Tuesday morning.

Along with the injuries to Kessler and Markkanen, the Jazz are also expected to remain without guards Collin Sexton and Jordan Clarkson.

The Lakers’ injury report has the usual questionable designations next to LeBron and Anthony Davis. The two Lakers’ stars are fighting foot ailments at this point in the season. James, however, could sit tonight with this being the first of back-to-back outings, and the Lakers facing the rival Clippers tomorrow.

Since swapping out the bulk of the roster at the trade deadline (which included the Russell Westbrook trade with Utah which brought Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley to L.A.), Los Angeles has transformed itself into a contender. Defense has been the calling card for the Purple and Gold since those moves, boasting a defensive rating of 110.3 since February 11.

But ever since reuniting James, Davis, and Russell, the Lakers' offense has taken off as well. Los Angeles is averaging almost 121 points per game over its last six outings and coupling that with the stifling defense for a net rating of +8.8 in that span.

The Jazz own a net rating of -8.1 during this seven-game slog, yet have managed to cover the spread in four of those contests thanks to some sizable spreads from the oddsmakers. Utah has caught +7.5, +9, and +13 points in three of those ATS paydays and could see this spread tick to double digits should Markkanen sit out and James suit up for L.A.

Lakers vs Jazz Over/Under analysis

The Over/Under for Tuesday’s game opened at 234.5 points and has jumped to as high as 237.5 points at some sharper online markets as of 11:00 a.m. ET.

That scoring surge from the Lakers has flipped the Over/Under results for L.A., as it was on a 5-11 Over/Under run with this new lineup before topping the total in five of the last six contests. That trio of James, AD, and Russell is combining for an average of almost 68 points per game while backcourt sparkplugs Austin Reaves and Dennis Schroder have been the cherry on top of this prolific attack.

Utah has hemorrhaged points during this late-season funk, giving up almost 123 points to opponents over those seven games. The Jazz have gone 4-3 O/U in those showings against an average total of around 234 points, granted they have played some offensive juggernauts such as Milwaukee, Sacramento, and Boston during that stretch. 

Utah can counter those defensive shortcomings with points of its own and has shown fight during this current slump, with former Laker Talen Horton-Tucker playing great basketball over the past three games. However, this attack loses a lot without the presence of Markkanen, as the 7-footer can stretch the floor with his outside shooting.

Lakers vs Jazz betting trend to know

The Jazz are 3-7-1 ATS in their last 11 home games. Find more NBA betting trends for Lakers vs Jazz.

Lakers vs Jazz game info

Lakers vs Jazz key injuries

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