Utah Jazz (9-3) at Atlanta Hawks (7-3)
The Jazz will be looking to extend their winning streak to 4 games when they head onto a 3 game road trip this Thursday. They thrashed the Lakers 139-116 on Tuesday on their home court. Lauri Markkanen continues to be one of the pickups of the season and led the scoring with 23 against the Lakers. Former Laker Jordan Clarkson also added 22. Utah are currently undefeated at home (5-0), so this road trip will be a good test of their West credentials. Their only major injury issue is Vanderbilt who's missed the last few games but the extra day's rest could see him suit up.
The Hawks are also on a 3-game winning streak and they ended the Bucks undefeated run on Tuesday. Despite falling behind by 14 pts, the Hawks rallied behind Dejounte Murray (25 pts) and AJ Griffin came out of nowhere to score 24. The victory was even more impressive considering Trae Young was a late out with an injury. He's questionable for this game and they may look to rest him as they have a back-to-back.
This should be a close game between two in-form teams and it could go either way. So the Under does look the play considering the trends. Overall, the Under is 5-0 in the last 5 matchups and 4-1 in Atlanta. The Jazz are 4-1 against the Under on the road and the Hawks are 7-2 against it at home.
Stadium Record
Atlanta are 17-3 in their last 20 at home. Utah has won 5 of their last 7 in Atlanta.
Head to Head Record
The Jazz won both meetings last season and hold a 7-3 record in the last 10.
Best Bet
New York Knicks (5-5) at Brooklyn Nets (4-7)
The Knicks got back on track with a 120-107 victory over the Timberwolves in Minnesota on Tuesday. Julius Randle was the key with 31 pts and looks good value in the player points markets if that form can continue. However, the Nets defence has been good lately so it will likely take a team effort to get past them. In terms of injuries, Mitch Robinson is out and Hartenstein has been solid in his absence at C.
The Nets have seemingly turned around their poor defensive efforts in their last 3 games. They've conceded under 100 pts in all 3 and come off a close 2-point loss against the Mavs. With Kyrie Irving on the sidelines due to suspension, Kevin Durant has stepped up along with Cam Thomas. Durant hasn't scored under 25 pts this season and should be a safe bet to get around the 30 pt mark without Irving around in the near future. They have lost Watanabe to injury but Ben Simmons returned from a knee injury against the Mavs.
With Brooklyn allowing under 100 pts in their last 3, we like the chances of a low-scoring battle between these two rivals. Overall, the Nets are 5-0 against the Under in their last 5 and it is 8-3 when they're coming off a loss.
Stadium Record
Brooklyn are just 1-9 ATS in their last 10 at home. New York has lost 7 of their last 8 at this venue.
Head to Head Record
The Nets have dominated the NY rivalry with 8 wins in the last 10.
Best Bet
Los Angeles Lakers (2-8) at Los Angeles Clippers (6-5)
The Lakers are looking to end a 3-game losing streak when they face the Clippers in this LA rivalry matchup. LeBron James missed the defeat against the Jazz on Monday with his lingering foot injury but he's likely going to play in this primetime game. Davis is still on the injury report with a back issue but he'll also likely lineup. Defensively, the Lakers need a lot of improvement as they're allowing 122 points in their last 5 games and they've lost all of their last 3 by 10+ pts.
The Clippers are coming off 4 wins in their last 5 and their comeback victory over the Cavs on Tuesday was impressive. Having fallen behind by 13 pts, LA rallied to win 119-117 in the end. Paul George continued his shooting form with 26 pts and he'll get a favourable matchup against the Lakers. It also helps that Leonard is out with injury as George gets a usage boost on offence. John Wall will return from rest in this one and that should strengthen the Clippers bench. Marcus Morris is also a player to target in the player points markets after scoring 18+ in 3 of his last 4 outings.
The LA Clippers come off a massive win over the Cavs and they should handle the struggling Lakers. They have a great record against the Lakers and it's hard to see the Lakers defence stopping the likes of George. With the Lakers covering in just 2 of their last 10, take the Clippers in this one.
Stadium Record
The Lakers are 2-4 at home this season. The Clippers have lost 3 of 5 at home.
Head to Head Record
The Clippers won the first meeting of the season 103-97 and they hold an 8-2 record in the last 10.
Best Bet
