Vegas Line Set for Utah Jazz Over/Under Win Total

Las Vegas oddsmakers have set their initial over/under win totals for NBA teams during the 2016-17 season. Where was the line set for the Utah Jazz?

‘Tis that time of year once again, hoops junkies. I’m not talking NBA team media days (although these are on the horizon). Nor am I referring to training camps or your fantasy draft (also imminent). Instead, I allude to that thing that sends degenerate gamblers, a group to which I belong, running to their local sportsbook.

The release of the first over/under win totals for the upcoming season as compiled by oddsmakers for the Las Vegas SuperBook at the Westgate.

Some view these lines as a statement on how their team is percieved. Others think of them as a prediction of things to come. In truth, lines are set where they are to create equal betting action on both sides. As such, it behooves the Vegas brainiacs to come as close to the actual win total as possible.

So where was the line set for the 2016-17 win total for the Utah Jazz? Do oddsmakers see the Jazz making the big jump this season?

It would seem so, or at least more so than in years past.

The initial over/under total for the Jazz this season has been set at 47.5 wins, good for the fourth highest line among Western Conference teams behind the Golden Sate Warriors (66.5), San Antonio Spurs (56.5) and Los Angeles Clippers (53.5).

This is in stark contrast to the lines set before the previous two seasons when oddsmakers seemed to be selling what the Jazz were doing. Before the 2014-15 season, the over/under win total for the Jazz was set at around 25 wins. Last season, the line was set at 40.5 wins despite the team’s strong second-half performance.

Personally, I took the over in both cases. Two years ago, the Jazz did right by me, clearing the line by 13 wins. Last year, they would have hit the over with ease if not for the injury barrage.

This year, the decision is anything but clear-cut. Oddsmakers obviously think the addition of Joe Johnson, George Hill and Boris Diaw, as well as the returns of Dante Exum and Alec Burks, will pay dividends for the Jazz. However, the line isn’t so optimistic as to suggest the team will catapult themselves into the ranks of the league’s elite.

CBS Sports’ Matt Moore said it best–

"Can you feel the Utah Jazz hype? At 47.5 wins, that’s 7.5 over their win total from last season, and puts them in line to scrape 50 wins. The Jazz are a trendy choice, and for good reason. It’s probably a stay-away, however, given that 47 is right about where they could land. Too close for comfort."

As for me, I’m taking the over once again. I think the Jazz are a team whose whole is greater than the sum of its parts and a group with the potential to really turn some heads. However, with an over/under mark of 47.5, I’m slightly less confident than I have been in the past.

More from The J-Notes

• With the FIBA World Cup over for Simone Fontecchio, it’s clear he deserves minutes for the Utah Jazz
• Best, Worst and Most likely scenarios for the Utah Jazz this season
• Hoops Hype downplays the significance of the Utah Jazz’s valuable assets
• 3 Utah Jazz players who have the most to gain or lose this season
• Former Utah Jazz forward Rudy Gay is a free agent still and it shouldn’t surprise anyone

The complete list of over/under totals looks as follows–