OKC Thunder vs Utah Jazz 04/06/2023 NBA Odds and Prediction

The OKC Thunder visit the Utah Jazz at the Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City on Thursday night.

OKC has lost its last three games played, including a 136-125 defeat at the hands of the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night. The Thunder are 38-42 SU on the season and are holding on to the 10th and final play-in tournament spot in the Western Conference. OKC is just 4-6 SU in their last 10 games played.

The Jazz also head to this contest having lost their last 3 games played. Utah is 36-43 SU on the season and is in 12th place in the Western Conference team standings. They are just 3-7 SU in their last 10 games played and need to catch the Thunder who are 1.5 games ahead of them and the Dallas Mavericks who share the same record as OKC but own the tiebreaker against them.

OKC Thunder

The Thunder are holding on to the final play-in spot in the Western Conference. But no matter what happens, this season will be a success in OKC’s book. The team is in rebuilding mode and they were supposed to get better with No. 2 pick Chet Holmgren. However, Holmgren suffered a season-ending injury before the season even began.

OKC last lost four out of its last five games played, including their last 3. These included bad losses to non-playoff teams in Charlotte and Indiana and that stretch really hurt OKC’s chance to compete for an outright playoff spot. In their last game, they led early but fell to the Golden State Warriors 136- 125. SGA led the team with 32 points and 7 assists.

Final from Golden State pic.twitter.com/L0D7LUXWlH

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) April 5, 2023

The Thunder are just 19th in offensive efficiency and 17th in defensive efficiency. They rank second behind the Golden State Warriors in pace and are one of the fastest teams in the NBA this season.

Utah Jazz

Like the Thunder, the Jazz were not supposed to be here at this stage of the season. Utah would have even been in a better spot had they not lost seven out of their last 8 games. Now the Jazz find themselves 1.5 games behind the Thunder and Mavericks who have the same record in the 10th and 11th spots.

In their last game, Utah nearly stunned the streaking Los Angeles Lakers as they rallied from a 10-point deficit with less than two minutes left to send the game into overtime. Lauri Markkanen and Collin Sexton did not play for the Jazz and without them, Kelly Olynyk and Talen Horton-Tucker led the team with 23 points apiece. Ochai Agbaji added 22 points in their OT loss to the Lakers. Utah will continue to miss its four best players on Thursday night:

Jazz Injury Report (as of 4/5):

OUT – Lauri Markkanen (left hand contusion)

OUT – Collin Sexton (left hamstring – injury maintenance )

OUT – Jordan Clarkson (left hand – fourth finger sprain)

OUT – Rudy Gay (low back soreness)

OUT – Walker Kessler (concussion protocol)

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) April 5, 2023

The Jazz ranked 9th in the NBA in offensive efficiency but they are only 25th in defensive efficiency. They are in the upper half of the league in tempo, as they are 12th in pace. Utah plays Denver at home next before finishing their season at Crypto.com Arena against the Lakers.

Thunder vs Jazz SU Prediction

The Thunder are 2-8 SU in their last 10 games played against the Jazz. OKC is 0-4 SU in their last four games played in Salt Lake City.

OKC Thunder SU trends:

• The Thunder are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games played.
• The Thunder are 15-25 SU in their last 40 games played on the road.
• The Thunder are 0-5 SU in their last five games played against the Western Conference.
• The Thunder are 0-5 SU in their last 5 games played in April.
• The Thunder are 7-1 SU in their last 8 games played against the Northwest Division.

Utah Jazz SU trends:

• The Jazz are 1-7 SU in their last 8 games played.
• The Jazz are 15-9 SU in their last 24 home games played against the Western Conference.
• The Jazz are 23-26 SU in their last 49 games played against
• The Jazz are 2-8 SU in their last 10 games played against the Western Conference.
• The Jazz are 1-6 SU in their last 7 games played in April.

The Thunder can clinch a spot in the postseason if they win their final two games against Utah and Memphis. Meanwhile, the Jazz have lost seven out of their last 8 games played and are not only behind the Thunder but also the Dallas Mavericks, who own the tiebreaker against them.

Regardless of what happens, however, both teams have overachieved this season. The Thunder lost No. 2 pick Chet Holmgren before the start of the season while the Jazz traded superstars Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert during the offseason in a fire sale. But both teams are still in the playoff hunt with one week to go in the regular season.

Both teams enter Thursday’s matchup with three-game losing streaks. The Thunder led early but eventually fell to the Golden State Warriors. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues his strong season as he led OKC with 32 points while Jalen Williams added 19.

 The Jazz meanwhile looked dead against the Los Angeles Lakers down 10 with less than two minutes left in the game. But Kelly Olynyk led a furious charge that sent the game to OT before the Lakers finally pulled off the win. Olynyk and Talen Horton-Tucker each scored 23 points while Ochai Agbaji added 22 for Utah. Seven Utah players scored in double digits and the team combined for 29 assists while playing without its two best players in Lauri Markkanen and Collin Sexton.

OKC has won two out of the last three games played between these two teams, including a 129-119 win at home last March 5th.

Both teams have struggled as of late but the Jazz have more issues here as they will be without their four best players in Markkanen, Sexton, Jordan Clarkson, and Kessler. The Thunder meanwhile will have their three best players on tap. Both teams are expected to play hard as they are desperate to enter the Top 10. The Thunder should be in better shape with the manpower advantage.

Prediction: OKC Thunder -250

Thunder vs Jazz ATS Prediction

The Thunder are 4-1-1 ATS in their last 6 games played against the Jazz. OKC is also 6-2-1 ATS in their last 9 games played in Utah.

OKC Thunder ATS trends:

• The Thunder are 0-8 ATS in their last 8 games overall.
• The Thunder are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 road games.
• The Thunder are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games following a straight-up loss of more than 10 points.
• The Thunder are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games after allowing more than 125 points in their previous game.
• The Thunder are 1-4-1 ATS in their last 6 Thursday games.
• The Thunder are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 road games against a team with a winning home record.
• The Thunder are 0-8 ATS in their last 8 games after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Thunder are 0-7 ATS in their last 7 games following an ATS loss.
• The Thunder are 0-7 ATS in their last 7 games when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Thunder are 0-7 ATS in their last 7 games when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Thunder are 0-8 ATS in their last 8 games after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Thunder are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games following a straight-up loss.
• The Thunder are 0-6 ATS in their last 6 games playing on 1 day’s rest.
• The Thunder are 0-6 ATS in their last 6 games versus. a team with a losing straight-up record.

Utah Jazz ATS trends:

• The Jazz are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games overall.
• The Jazz are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Jazz are 4-0-1 ATS in their last 5 Thursday games.
• The Jazz are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games playing on 1 days rest.
• The Jazz are 10-2 ATS in their last 12 games when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Jazz are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games following an ATS win.
• The Jazz are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Jazz are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a straight-up loss.
• The Jazz are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games versus a team with a losing straight up record.
• The Jazz are 15-5-2 ATS in their last 22 games after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Jazz are 2-6-1 ATS in their last 9 home games against a team with a losing road record.
• The Jazz are 1-5-1 ATS in their last 7 home games versus a team with a road winning % of less than .400.

Both teams have plenty to play for on Thursday. However, the big difference will be the fact that OKC’s best players in Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, and Jalen Williams will be on hand to play this game while the Jazz will be without its four best players due to injury. I expect a good game but OKC’s depth should carry them to victory on Thursday night.

Prediction: OKC Thunder -4

Thunder vs Jazz Over/Under Prediction

The over is 2-1 in the last three games played between these two teams. The under is 19-7 in the last 26 games played in Utah.

OKC Thunder over/under trends:

• The under is 4-3 in the Thunder’s last 7 games played overall.
• The under is 4-2 in the Thunder’s last 6 games played on the road.
• The under is 10-3 in the Thunder’s last 13 versus a team with a losing straight-up record.
• The under is 13-12 in the Thunder’s last 25 road games played against the Eastern Conference.
• The over is 9-4-1 in the Thunder’s last 14 games playing on 1 day’s rest.
• The over is 13-6-1 in the Thunder’s last 20 games after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The over is 9-2 in the Thunder’s last 11 Thursday games.
• The over is 28-21-1 in the Thunder’s last 50 games played against the Western Conference.

Utah Jazz over/under trends:

• The over is 12-3-1 in the Jazz’s last 16 games played overall.
• The over is 5-1 in the Jazz’s last 6 home games.
• The over is 10-2-1 in the Jazz’s last 13 games playing on 1 day’s rest.
• The over is 12-3-1 in the Jazz’s last 16 games after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The over is 8-2 in the Jazz’s last 10 games following an ATS win.
• The over is 4-1 in the Jazz’s last 5 games against a team with a losing straight-up record.
• The over is 11-3-1 in the Jazz’s last 15 games when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The over is 11-3-1 in the Jazz’s last 15 games after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The over is 10-3-1 in the Jazz’s last 14 games when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The over is 7-3-1 in the Jazz’s last 11 games following a straight-up loss.
• The under is 4-1 in the Jazz’s last 5 home games versus a team with a road winning % of less than .400.

The Thunder play the second fastest pace among NBA teams this season, With plenty of young guns on the team, they like to push the ball hard and score at the first opportunity. OKC is also not a very good defensive team, ranking in the bottom half of the league on that end of the court.

Utah has a Top 10 offense and their defense is in the bottom 10. Although Utah doesn’t have its four best payers, we saw them put up 133 against a good defensive team in the Lakers.

With both teams not owning elite defenses and both teams among the best offensive teams in the league this season, look for this one to be a high-scoring game that will go over the total.

Prediction: Over 234.5

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