The Utah Jazz are looking to bounce back from a bad loss to the New Orleans Pelicans when they take on the reeling Washington Wizards on Thursday.
Washington just fired head coach Wes Unseld Jr. after the team’s loss on Wednesday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Washington is just 7-36 this season.
Wes Unseld Jr. is out as Washington Wizards head coach and will move to a front office role. pic.twitter.com/C9C6TORp6K
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 25, 2024
Utah is favored in this game, but the Jazz have come back to earth after a long winning streak, losing three in a row to fall back to the No. 10 seed in the West and under .500 on the season.
How should bettors look to wager on this matchup?
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Let’s break down the latest odds and my best bet for this contest:
Jazz vs. Wizards odds, spread and total
Jazz vs. Wizards how to watch
- Date: Thursday, Jan. 25
- Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
- Venue: Capital One Arena
- How to watch (TV): Root Sports Northwest, Monumental Sports Network
- Jazz record: 22-23
- Wizards record: 7-36
Jazz vs. Wizards injury reports
Utah Jazz injury report
- Taylor Hendricks – out
- Johnny Juzang – out
- Micah Potter – out
- Brice Sensabaugh – out
- Jason Preston – out
Washington Wizards injury report
- Not submitted yet
Jazz vs. Wizards key players to watch
Utah Jazz
Lauri Markkanen: After an eight-game stretch where he scored 21 or more points in every game, Markkanen struggled against the New Orleans Pelicans, shooting 4-for-15 from the field and scoring 11 points in a blowout loss. This should be a bounce-back spot against the No. 29 defense in the NBA. Markkanen is averaging 23.6 points and 8.7 rebounds per game this season.
Washington Wizards
Kyle Kuzma: The Wizards need more from Kuzma if they want any chance at winning some games. Over his last four games, Kuzma has failed to score more than 17 points despite averaging 21.7 per game this season. He’s still stuffing the stat sheet – putting up two double-doubles in that stretch, but Washington simply doesn’t have the offensive firepower to win with Kuzma struggling to score.
Jazz vs. Wizards prediction and pick
These are two of the best OVER teams in the NBA, and it’s likely because of the lack of defense they play.
Washington ranks 29th in the NBA in defensive rating, and the Jazz are just 23rd in that category entering Thursday’s contest.
So far this season, Utah has hit the OVER in 25 of its 45 games, including 13 of its 24 road games. The Wizards are 22-20-1 on OVERs this season, including an 11-8-1 record at home.
Washington is playing the second night of a back-to-back, which could be concerning since it is just 1-6 on the OVER in those games.
However, with Unseld now in a front-office role and the team not having many directions, I could see this turning into a get-right game for Utah.
The Jazz are also more than willing to play fast (ninth in pace), which is a good sign in this game since Washington plays at the fastest pace in the league. I’ll go OVER in this matchup.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.