Golden State Warriors vs Utah Jazz Odds, Player Props, Predictions & Betting Promos (Feb. 15)

It might be more warranted for the Warriors to blame their propensity to foul for the loss. The Clippers finished the night with a 29-13 edge in points from the free-throw line.

Prior to last night, the Warriors had won a season-high five straight games to overtake the Jazz for the final postseason berth in the Western Conference portion of the NBA playoff bracket. Among those five wins was a dominant 129-107 victory over the Jazz in Utah on Monday, Feb. 12. Monday’s game was one of Golden State’s best defensive performances of the season; they limited Utah to 44.6% shooting from the field, had a 51-44 edge in rebounding, and generated 17 turnovers.

Utah Suffers Another Ugly Loss

Since recording impressive back-to-back home wins over Milwaukee (123-108) and OKC (124-117), the Jazz have lost three straight in decisive fashion. A 129-115 loss at Phoenix was followed by the 129-107 home loss to Golden State and last night’s 138-122 rout at the hands of the Lakers.  Utah trailed by just one at halftime before a 38-23 third quarter gave LA an insurmountable lead.

Making the setback all the more concerning, the Lakers were without LeBron James.

Collin Sexton had a team-high 18 in the loss. Leading scorer Lauri Markkanen (23.4 PPG) finished with just 16 points on 6-of-15 shooting and a 2-of-7 mark from three.

Utah is now just 2-6 in its past eight as the playoffs slip further and further out of reach. The Jazz’s -2.7 point differential is fourth-worst in the West and eighth-worst in the league (as is their -3.0 Net Rating).

GSW vs UTA Player Props

Curry, who finished with just 25 points when the teams met on Monday, is listed with an over/under point total of 29.5 in Thursday’s NBA player props. Markkanen’s point total is at 22.5, one point lower than when the teams met three days ago. He’s only gone over 22 points once in his past five games.

Warriors vs Jazz Prediction

As someone who confidently bet the Warriors to not just win but cover last night against a shorthanded Clippers team, the final 12 minutes was an immensely frustrating experience. Golden State’s inability to close out games has been a recurring problem all season.

At the same time, every metric suggests the Warriors are the better team (they have a better O-Rating and D-Rating), as does every ounce of history.  BetMGM currently lists the Dubs at just -120 on the first-half moneyline, which precludes the potential for another disappointing fourth quarter from Steve Kerr’s team.

GSW vs UTA pick: Warriors first-half moneyline (-120) on the BetMGM app

Sascha Paruk’s 2023-24 NBA betting record:

• 17-19 moneyline (+1.31 units)
• 11-11-2 ATS (-1.54 units)

All wagers one unit unless expressly stated otherwise.