The Warriors (+3) And Jazz Have Won A Combined 12 Games In A row

Trade rumors involving James Harden and Ben Simmons are everywhere 🔁 — let’s talk Warriors vs. Jazz 👇

Warriors @ Jazz Preview

The media loves talking about how good Phoenix is, anything Brooklyn and LA related, and obviously Giannis and the defending champs. Sadly, the Jazz don’t really get that much love, but are shadily 227-135 since drafting Donovan Mitchell in in 2017 🕷

Utah has won three straight games after dropping their first few without Rudy Gobert (dealing with a calf injury). On the other hand, the Warriors are on a nine-game winning streak, even while missing Draymond Green for their last 14 games

• Jazz’s last 7 games without Gobert: 3-4

• Warriors’ last 14 games without Draymond: 11-3

The Jazz are hoping Gobert can return soon, but with his status still up in the air, here’s where the lines for tomorrow night’s showdown stand 👇

Warriors @ Jazz Betting Preview

• Spread: Jazz -3

• Moneyline: Warriors +125 (bet $100, win $125), Jazz -145 (bet $145, win $100)

• Over/Under: 221

Who’s the Real MVP?

Since Donovan Mitchell exploded in the bubble, Jazz fans have had the luxury of two legit stars. However, their series against the Clippers in last year’s playoffs (when LAC played small-ball with Batum at the five) was a tough look for Rudy, supporting an already proven concept that it’s tough to build a contending team around a big in today’s NBA

BUT, it’s hard to argue with the numbers, which show that the Jazz are actually better statistically with Gobert in over Mitchell 👀

• Jazz +/- with Gobert IN and Mitchell OUT: +8.8 points/100 possessions

• Jazz +/- with Mitchell IN and Gobert OUT: +1.2 points/100 possessions

The disparity between those numbers may reflect the fact that the Jazz have a number of playmakers — like Mike Conley, Jordan Clarkson, and Bojan Bogdanovic — who can replicate some of the juice that Mitchell brings. They only have one Gobert

• Mitchell is trying to flip the script, as he’s scored 27+ points in five of the seven games with Gobert out

• In Utah’s last game vs. the Knicks, Donovan had 32 pts, 7 rbs, 6 asts, 4 stls and 1 blk in a big comeback win

The Jazz are back on track, winning their last three games after a rusty start without Rudy. But, we have to look at the full picture, and those wins came against the Nuggets without Jokic, the Nets without KD or Harden, and the 12th-seeded Knicks. We know Utah can get hot, but Golden State is a completely different beast than those squads 💧

Trivia question: What one-time All-Star was picked immediately after Donovan Mitchell with the 14th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft? (answer below)

Klay is BACK

Part of the reason the Warriors have been able to thrive without Draymond Green has been the return of Klay Thompson. Although he started out cold from three and on a strict 20-minute limit, he’s worked himself back into a groove, as he approaches 30 minutes per game

😏 Klay’s First Four Games Back

• 22.2 MPG

• 26.7 3P%

• 14.7 PPG

🔥 Klay’s Last Six Games

• 26.4 MPG

• 44.7 3P%

• 18.7 PPG

On top of the improved shooting, Klay actually led the Warriors in scoring last game for the first time in almost three years. He’s definitely making life easier for Steph, and just took sole control of 18th place on the all-time made threes list 🏆

However, Klay won’t play in this game, perhaps giving Jazz fans some hope of a victory in this one. Don’t worry Dubs fans, the Warriors are just keeping Klay out of the front-end of a back-to-back with Golden State taking on the Knicks in New York tomorrow. Look for more minutes from Jordan Poole and Jonathan Kuminga, which is always exciting 💯

For My Parlay Gurus

With the Warriors rolling, I like them to cruise tonight, as long as Gobert sits. If by the time you read this Rudy is playing, maybe consider taking the Jazz. But for now, we’re riding Golden State. To complete my parlay, I’m adding in the Cavs at home vs. the Spurs in Caris LeVert’s debut 👇

• Warriors +3 vs. Jazz: -115

• Cavs -6.5 vs. Spurs: -110

$100 on this bet would win you $257 — if we hit, make sure to email [email protected] for $100*. First come, first serve 😉

Trivia answer: The Heat selected Bam Adebayo 14th in 2017. He, Donovan Mitchell, and Jayson Tatum are the only three players from their draft class to have made an All-Star game so far