Lakers vs Jazz Picks and Predictions: Utah Takes Care of Business at Home

The reeling Los Angeles Lakers head to Salt Lake City to take on the Utah Jazz on Thursday night.

The Lakers need to turn things on down the stretch if they even want to qualify for the play-in tournament and they'll have to get it done tonight without LeBron James. NBA betting lines opened with the Jazz as whopping 12.5-point home favorites with the Over/Under at 225.5.

Here are our free NBA betting picks and predictions for Lakers vs. Jazz on March 31, with tipoff at 10 p.m. ET.

Lakers vs Jazz odds

This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.

Look ahead lines for this game had the spread as close as Utah -6.5 but after reports surfaced that LeBron James had left the team's road trip early to rehab back in L.A. this line grew to -12.5 by early Thursday morning.

Money has since come in on Utah, increasing this line to -13 as of 11 a.m. ET. The total has seen modest movement, ticking up from 224.5 to 225.5. 

Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until tip-off and be sure to check out the full NBA odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.

Lakers vs Jazz predictions

• Prediction: Jazz -13 (-110)
• Prediction: Over 225.5 (-110)
• Best bet: Westbrook Over 34.5 pts + rebs + asts (-110)

Predictions made on 3/31/2022 at 11 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.

Lakers vs Jazz game info

• Location: Vivint Arena, Salt Lake City, UT
• Date: Thursday, March 31, 2022
• Tip-off: 10:00 p.m. ET
• TV: TNT

Lakers vs Jazz betting preview

Key injuries

Lakers: LeBron James SF (Out), Anthony Davis PF (Doubtful), Kendrick Nunn SG (Out), Wenyen Gabriel F (Questionable).
Jazz: Bojan Bogdanovic SF (Questionable), Hassan Whiteside C (Questionable), Danuel House Jr. SF (Questionable), Trent Forrest G (Questionable), Udoka Azubuike C (Out).
Find our latest NBA injury reports.

Betting trend to know

The Over is 9-1 in the Laker's last 10 road games versus a team with a winning home record. Find more NBA betting trends for Lakers vs. Jazz.

Lakers vs Jazz picks and predictions

Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.

Spread analysis

The Lakers entered this season as championship favorites but are now fighting to even make the play-in tournament as they sit just half a game ahead of the Spurs for 10th in the Western Conference standings.

They are just 4-13 straight up and 5-11-1 against the spread since the All-Star break and are coming off a 128-110 loss to the Mavs on Tuesday. 

Their sole bright spot this season has been the play of LeBron James but he missed that game against Dallas and has already gone back to L.A. to get treatment for a sprained ankle. Los Angeles also missed two-way stud Anthony Davis who has been out since February 16 and while the big man has returned to practice with the team he's listed as doubtful tonight. 

This is a team that hasn't been winning with LeBron so it's little surprise that it's double-digit underdogs on the road in Utah. That said, things haven't been rosy for them either with the Jazz having gone 0-5 SU and ATS in their last five games and are coming off a deflating loss to the Clippers on Tuesday where they squandered a 25-point lead.

The Jazz look set for another playoff appearance but despite strong play from All-Stars Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, they don't seem quite capable of taking that next step and emerging as a true title contender.

While the Jazz need to play with more consistency and bring their A-game against quality opponents they are fourth in the NBA in net rating. And when they do win they tend to blow out their foes with 11 of their 17 victories since the middle of January coming by double-digits. 

It's tough to trust one of the worst ATS teams in the NBA as 13-point chalk but we'll lean in that direction against a depleted Lakers side that has been one of the league's worst defensive teams without AD. 

Prediction: Jazz -13 (-110 at PointsBet)

Over/Under analysis

It's tough to find an angle when looking at the Over/Under because although the Lakers are brutal defensively they will also take a massive step backward offensively without James and his league-leading 30.1 points per game.

The Lakers are 27th in the league in scoring defense with 114.5 ppg allowed and that number has soared to an obscene 122.7 ppg in their last 16 games without Davis. Meanwhile, despite Utah's recent struggles the Jazz still lead the NBA in offensive rating and effective field goal percentage (55.7%). 

It's also worth mentioning that L.A. has played three games without James this month and scored at least 110 points in each of those contests.

Ultimately, we think the Laker's defense is just too bad and the Jazz offense (while inconsistent) is too efficient. With the Lakers 5-1 O/U in their last six games, we'll lean in that direction tonight. 

Prediction: Over 225.5 (-110 at Bet365)

Best bet

There is plenty of blame to go around for the Laker's disappointing season and Russell Westbrook has been on the receiving end for much of it. The nine-time All-Star has been an awful fit with his new club thanks to his poor shot selection, turnover-prone ways, and lackadaisical effort on defense.  

That said, he's still a stat-stuffer and is more than capable of racking up big numbers, especially when LeBron is sidelined and he can dominate the ball.

Westbrook had 25 points, six assists, and eight rebounds in Bron's absence against a strong Mavs defense on Tuesday. He also dropped 24 points with eight dimes and nine boards against the 76ers last week when LeBron sat out with a sore knee. 

Westbrook is now averaging 21.8 ppg, 8.2 apg, and 8.2 rpg in his last six games and while he might not be efficient tonight he still looks like a good bet to go Over his points, rebounds, and assists total of 34.5.

Pick: Westbrook Over 34.5 points + rebounds + assists (-110)

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