The Oklahoma City Thunder (27-13) travel to face off against the Utah Jazz (22-20) on Thursday, January 18th. This game will be played at Delta Center in Salt Lake City and televised on KJZZ. The Jazz are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Thunder are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Pacers. Tip-off is set for 9:00 ET.

Thunder vs Jazz

The Thunder Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

The Thunder’s most recent matchup against the Clippers saw Jalen Williams lead the Thunder with 25 points while shooting 10/14 from the field. Luguentz Dort finished 2nd on the team with 19 points, but Oklahoma City ended the game with a 128-117 loss.

Coming into today, the Thunder are 27-13 overall and are 1-2 in their last three games. In Western Conference play, the Thunder are 15-10 compared to 12-3 in non-conference games.

Oklahoma City has an overall ATS record of 27-13 as they come into today’s game. Oklahoma City has covered the spread in six consecutive home games, while maintaining an ATS record of 16-5 at home as opposed to 11-8 on the road.

The Jazz Are Coming Off A Win

The Jazz notched a win against the Pacers in their most recent game, concluding with a score of 132-105. As the second half got underway, the Jazz were leading by a score of 64-50.

Heading into today’s game, the Jazz are looking to extend their six game winning streak. Overall, they are 22-20, going 12-15 against Western Conference teams and 10-5 in non-conference games.

Utah has an ATS record above .500, currently standing at 26-16 against the spread. The Jazz are currently on a three game ATS win streak when they are the favorite, and they hold a 19-14 record against the spread as underdogs.

Thunder Offense Breakdown

The Thunder step onto the court for today’s game as one of the NBA’s top-scoring squads, putting up 121.9 points per game (3rd).

On the season, the Thunder have been one of the league’s highest-scoring teams, averaging 121.9 points per game (3rd). However, they have been slightly better at home (124.5 PPG) compared to on the road (119.1 PPG).

When it comes to pace, Oklahoma City has been 10th in the NBA, averaging 99.8 possessions per game. In terms of field goal percentage, the Thunder are 2nd in the league at 50%. They are also one of the top three-point shooting teams, making 13.2 threes per game (12th).

When compared to the NBA scoring average, the Thunder have outscored it in 75% of their games. In terms of two-point shooting, they are 3rd in the league at 57%. As a team, Oklahoma City is 11th in free throws made per game (18.6).

Jazz Offense Breakdown

Heading into play, the Jazz’s offense is rated 12th in the league in scoring, averaging 116.8 points per contest.

When playing at home, the Jazz are the 5th highest-scoring team in the NBA, averaging 123.6 points per game. Overall, they are 12th in the league at 116.8 points per game. In terms of pace, Utah is 9th in the NBA with 100 possessions per game.

Utah’s offense is 18th in field goal percentage at 46%. They are an above-average three-point shooting team, ranking 13th in made threes per game (13.2). However, their three-point percentage is just 22nd in the league at 35%.

So far this season, the Jazz have outscored the NBA average in 57.1% of their games. In terms of assists, they are 7th in the league at 28 per game. In terms of free throw attempts, the Jazz are 13th in the NBA.

Thunder Team Defense

So far, the Thunder defense is giving up 113.7 points per contest, which has them sitting 14th in the NBA. One thing to note, is they have given up more points than their season average in four straight matchups. When it comes to defending inside the arc, the Thunder squad is permitting opposing teams to shoot at a clip of 51.5% inside the arc, and they’re also giving up 36.0% from downtown.

Jazz Team Defense

Coming into the game, the Jazz’s defense is giving up an average of 118.2 points per game. So far, they have given up more points than the NBA league average in 52.4% of their games. On two point field goal attempts, the Jazz’s defensive unit is allowing a field goal percentage of 54.3% and allowing 37.6% from beyond the arc.

Key Players For The Thunder And Jazz

In today’s game, we anticipate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading the scoring for the Thunder, contributing 29 points while shooting 10/19 from the field. For the season, he has been averaging 31 points per game, in addition to 5.7 rebounds.

On the other side, Lauri Markkanen is our projected leading scorer for the Jazz. We have him ending the game with a team-high 24 and grabbing 8 rebounds. This season, he is shooting at a field goal percentage of 49.7%, and his scoring average is 24 points per game.

Thunder vs Jazz Trends

• In their last five games away from home, the Thunder have a straight up record of 2-3 while going 1-4 vs the spread. The team’s offense averaged 120 points per game in these contests.
• Across the Jazz last ten home games, the team averaged 117 points per game while allowing 117. Their record vs the spread in these contests was 7-3, while going 6-4 straight-up.
• As the betting underdog, the Jazz have an ATS record of 3-0 in their last three games. In these matchups their, straight up record was 3-0.
• Looking back on the team’s last ten games as the favorite, the Thunder have a straight up record of 7-3. Their record vs the spread in these games was 6-4.

Thunder vs Jazz Prediction

The Thunder is our pick to not only win with a projected score of 117-112. But we also favor them to cover the spread. Our bet is on the Thunder at -3.

Right now, the over/under line for the game is sitting at 246.5 and given that our model is projecting 229 points between the teams, we like the under.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.