The Utah Jazz head to Madison Square Garden to take on the New York Knicks in a Sunday night showdown. It’s time to continue our NBA odds series with a Jazz-Knicks prediction and pick.
The Jazz is coming off a 121-92 drubbing of the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night at the Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City. Rudy Gobert scored 19 points on 8 for 11 shooting while pulling down 16 rebounds. Additionally, Jared Butler came off the bench to score 21 points on 8 for 13 shooting, including 5 for 10 from the 3-point line. He also added seven assists. Jordan Clarkson contributed with 20 points on 8 for 17 shooting, hitting 2 for 5 from beyond the arc. Eric Paschall added 17 points on 7 for 14 shooting. Therefore, the Utah bench combined for 70 points, powering the Jazz to victory. Utah has won two in a row and is currently the fourth seed in the Western Conference.
The Knicks are coming off a 100-97 nail-biter victory over the Washington Wizards at the Garden on Friday night. Julius Randle and RJ Barnett had identical stats, each scoring 18 points on 6 for 22 shooting. The Knicks won the game despite poor shooting from the field, hitting only 34.4 percent of their shots. They did win the rebounding battle 60-38, which allowed them to hold off the furious Wizards comeback. The Knicks are 5-2 over their last seven games and are five games behind the Hawks and Hornets for the last two playoff seeds with 12 games left to play. If they can get past the Jazz, they will have back-to-back games against Atlanta and Charlotte with a lot on the line.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Jazz-Knicks NBA odds:
NBA Odds: Jazz-Knicks Odds
Jazz: -4 (-112)
Knicks: +4 (-108)
Over: 220.5 (-110)
Under: 220.5 (-110)
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Why The Jazz Could Cover The Spread
Utah is a talented team and one that could cause some damage in the west. Despite going 2-6 against the three teams above them, the Jazz has consistently competed in each game. Likewise, the Jazz tends to take care of business against teams below them. They have dominated this recent history with the Knicks, going 6-1 over the last seven contests since the 2017-2018 season.
In their earlier matchup with the Knicks at home, they won 113-104. Donovan Mitchell scored 32 points on 13 for 26 shooting while grabbing seven rebounds and distributing six assists. Bojan Bogdanovic scored 20 points on 6 for 14 shooting, and Mike Conley scored 18 points on 5 for 17 shooting. Both players will be out for Sunday’s game against New York. Bogdanovic will sit out with a left calf strain. Conley will not play in this game due to right knee injury maintenance. Despite that, the Jazz has plenty of other weapons.
Mitchell leads the team in scoring, averaging 25.7 points per game. Gobert has gobbled down the rebounds, averaging 14.8 per game. Mitchell has been a distribution master, averaging 5.5 assists per game. The key to victory in their last showdown was free-throw shooting, as the Jazz hit 85.2 percent, while the Knicks only hit 68.8 percent. Winning the turnover battle is key, as they had the advantage in the last game. The Jazz will cover if they can hit their shots from the charity line and limit their turnovers.
Why The Knicks Could Cover The Spread
New York is in an almost must-win situation, and it could push them forward. The biggest thing that gives them a fighting chance against Utah is the unavailability of Conley and Bogdanovic. The Knicks lost the last matchup by nine points on the road, so ideally playing at home could give them some advantage. Rebounding could be huge for them.
The Knicks are third in the NBA in rebounding, just one spot ahead of the Jazz. In their last contest, they won the rebounding battle 56-49. If they can sustain a more dominant figure on the boards, they could control the tempo and direction of this game. It would also allow them to contain Mitchell and slow down Gobert. Randle has led them in scoring, averaging 20.4 points per game while grabbing 10.0 rebounds per game. He and Barrett are the keys to beating Utah and keeping their playoff hopes alive.
The Knicks will cover the spread if Randle and Barrett can help them control the tempo, win the battle on the boards and slow down Mitchell and Gobert.
Final Jazz-Knicks Prediction & Pick
If Conley and Bogdanovic were available, this would be an almost too-easy pick. The Jazz would win this game by seven points, going into the Garden and taking care of business. However, both are out, and Conley could suit up for the Monday night showdown with Brooklyn. Because of that, the Knicks will not just cover, they will outright win this game.
Final Jazz-Knicks Prediction & Pick: Knicks Moneyline (+158)
