The Jazz roll into Smoothie King Center at 1-6, missing Jaren Jackson Jr. and coming off back-to-back 22-point losses. The Pelicans are 3-4 and have won three straight, with Dejounte Murray set to return. This game comes down to the paint. New Orleans averages 62.6 points in there and hasn't scored fewer than 48 in any game. Utah reached at least 46 in each of its first four games, then managed just 34, 28 and 36 in the three since Jackson got hurt. Zion Williamson is 41-of-60 from the field over the last five games, and Utah's frontcourt is thin, with Jackson and Jusuf Nurkic out and Mo Bamba questionable. Don't let Utah's 120-119 win over New Orleans last month fool you. The Jazz needed their home floor, 24 points from Jackson and a 15-point edge from three just to win by 1. Tonight they're on the road without Jackson. Utah trailed by at least 24 after three quarters in each of its last two games, and Keyonte George is 5-of-22 in that stretch. For the season, New Orleans is +1.7 per game and Utah is -11.9. Utah's schedule inflates that 13.6-point gap, since all six losses came against teams with winning records, but it's still well beyond 4.5. Trey Murphy III's downgrade to questionable looks ominous, but it doesn't sink the bet. Saddiq Bey averages 15.6 points to Murphy's 14.9, and Murray and Jordan Poole are expected back. This isn't a clean ticket. The Pelicans led after three quarters in three of their four losses, including 108-89 at Denver, and they blew a 124-115 lead at Memphis on Monday before winning in overtime. Only two of their seven games were decided by more than 4.5, against the 1-6 Kings and a Hawks team that shot 8-of-46 from three. Murray and Poole also rejoin a group that went 3-0 without them, and Monday's overtime pushed Murphy to 40 minutes and Jeremiah Fears to 38, while no Jazz player topped 33. Utah's way to cover is the offensive glass, where it grabbed 20 against the Lakers and 17 at San Antonio, plus a hot night from George. I still think the paint edge is too big, so I'm laying the points with New Orleans.
The Jazz roll into Smoothie King Center at 1-6, missing Jaren Jackson Jr. and coming off back-to-back 22-point losses. The Pelicans are 3-4 and have won three straight, with Dejounte Murray set to return.
This game comes down to the paint. New Orleans averages 62.6 points in there and hasn't scored fewer than 48 in any game. Utah reached at least 46 in each of its first four games, then managed just 34, 28 and 36 in the three since Jackson got hurt. Zion Williamson is 41-of-60 from the field over the last five games, and Utah's frontcourt is thin, with Jackson and Jusuf Nurkic out and Mo Bamba questionable.
Don't let Utah's 120-119 win over New Orleans last month fool you. The Jazz needed their home floor, 24 points from Jackson and a 15-point edge from three just to win by 1. Tonight they're on the road without Jackson.
Utah trailed by at least 24 after three quarters in each of its last two games, and Keyonte George is 5-of-22 in that stretch. For the season, New Orleans is +1.7 per game and Utah is -11.9. Utah's schedule inflates that 13.6-point gap, since all six losses came against teams with winning records, but it's still well beyond 4.5.
Trey Murphy III's downgrade to questionable looks ominous, but it doesn't sink the bet. Saddiq Bey averages 15.6 points to Murphy's 14.9, and Murray and Jordan Poole are expected back.
This isn't a clean ticket. The Pelicans led after three quarters in three of their four losses, including 108-89 at Denver, and they blew a 124-115 lead at Memphis on Monday before winning in overtime. Only two of their seven games were decided by more than 4.5, against the 1-6 Kings and a Hawks team that shot 8-of-46 from three. Murray and Poole also rejoin a group that went 3-0 without them, and Monday's overtime pushed Murphy to 40 minutes and Jeremiah Fears to 38, while no Jazz player topped 33.
Utah's way to cover is the offensive glass, where it grabbed 20 against the Lakers and 17 at San Antonio, plus a hot night from George. I still think the paint edge is too big, so I'm laying the points with New Orleans.
Pelicans -4.5