The Utah Jazz are refusing to give an inch in the fight for postseason basketball, holding possession of the final play-in spot entering tonight’s matchup against the depleted Portland Trail Blazers.
Every time Utah seems to be sliding out of the playoff race, Will Hardy’s men claw their way back — and recently that’s meant overcoming injuries to key playmakers. Still, the team has won its last two games, including an impressive 128-120 win over the Sacramento Kings on Monday night.
Meanwhile, the Blazers appear to be waving the white flag on this season, with a growing injury list and talk of shutting down Damian Lillard for the final weeks of the season. The visitors are on a six-game skid after a 117-102 loss to the L.A. Clippers last time out.
Check out our free Trail Blazers vs Jazz NBA picks and predictions for everything you need to know about tonight’s game.
Trail Blazers vs Jazz best odds
Trail Blazers vs Jazz picks and predictions
The four-year, $70M contract that Jusuf Nurkic signed last summer to stay in Portland looked like a big number at the time — and an underwhelming season has made that a tough salary for the Trail Blazers to move as they try to improve the roster around Damian Lillard.
But on the right night, in the right matchup, Nurkic can still be a key contributor, and this showdown with a towering Utah frontcourt should play to his strengths.
This prop becomes more interesting when you consider the Portland injury list. With Anfernee Simons and Jerami Grant both out, the Trail Blazers’ offense is lacking in secondary options to support Lillard. Almost by default, Nurkic is positioned for an uptick in scoring.
He cashed in against the Clippers on Monday, leading Portland with 23 points (9-for-14 shooting) and 11 rebounds, and I envision Chauncey Billups keeping the big Bosnian on the floor as much as possible tonight to counter the Jazz’s Walker Kessler-Kelly Olynyk frontline. Nurkic’s role on the boards will be critical, with the Trail Blazers likely to play smaller line-ups around him for much of the night.
With the hosts sure to send multiple defenders at Lillard, I like these odds for Nurkic to make the most of a bigger role.
My best bet: Jusuf Nurkic Over 22.5 points+rebounds (-119)
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Trail Blazers vs Jazz spread analysis
It’s hard to argue with the Jazz being clear favorites in this spot, especially with Portland’s push for the play-in tournament fizzling out. Even with backcourt absences and question marks over whether Markkanen will return tonight, the hosts showed their upside in Monday’s win over Sacramento.
Ochai Agbaji is one of the Utah guards seeing more minutes with Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton sidelined, and he stole the show against the Kings with 27 points on 8-for-14 shooting. Kessler’s stellar defense on Domantas Sabonis was a huge factor too, and his presence should limit the damage from Lillard in the paint.
This has been a rough stretch for the Trail Blazers — having lost six straight and eight of their last 10 games. Portland has failed to cover the spread in any of its last four games, and a 14-22 road record doesn’t offer much reason for optimism tonight.
The visitors’ chances of an upset look bleaker without key supporting pieces around Lillard. That may not matter if Dame delivers another 60-point masterpiece — as he did against the Jazz in late January — but it feels like a stretch to expect a repeat.
Trail Blazers vs Jazz Over/Under analysis
Even with starters in and out of the lineup, the Jazz have been hammering the Over this month. It’s 7-0-1 in their last eight games overall and 5-0 in their last five outings after an ATS win. If Markkanen is available tonight, the hosts are well placed to hit the Over again, exploiting a shaky Portland defense.
Utah sits just outside the Top 5 in the NBA in points per game (117.4) and continues to get contributions from unlikely places. Kris Dunn had 18 points and 10 assists against the Kings while backup big man Udoka Azubuike was a perfect 6-for-6 from the field.
The Trail Blazers’ offense has sputtered during their losing run, and they’ve been held to 110 points or fewer in five of their last seven games. The late January meeting between these teams served up 258 total points, but keep in mind that their two earlier meetings were right around the 230-mark.
Trail Blazers vs Jazz betting trend to know
The Trail Blazers are 2-5 ATS in the last seven meetings with Utah. Find more NBA betting trends for Trail Blazers vs. Jazz.
Trail Blazers vs Jazz game info
| Location: | Vivint Arena, Salt Lake City, UT |
| Date: | Wednesday, March 22, 2023 |
| Tip-off: | 9:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | Root Sports, ATTSN Rocky Mountain |
