The J-Notes
Fansided

Pacers vs. Jazz NBA expert prediction and odds for MLK Day (Utah is elite at home)

Betting odds, pick and prediction for the Utah Jazz-Indiana Pacers matchup on Monday night.

By Peter Dewey

Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen.
Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen. / Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports
facebooktwitterreddit

The Utah Jazz are one of the hottest teams in the NBA, entering Monday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers on a five-game winning streak. 

The Jazz have been money at home, going 14-5 overall, and their recent 8-2 stretch has moved them into the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference. 

Indiana is coming into this off a loss to the Denver Nuggets on Sunday, and the team is without All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton due to injury. 

Utah is favored in this game, but should bettors lay the points with Will Hardy’s club? 

Pacers vs. Jazz odds, spread and total

Pacers vs. Jazz how to watch

  • Date: Monday, Jan. 15
  • Time: 9:00 p.m. EST
  • Venue: Delta Center
  • How to watch (TV): Bally Sports Indiana, Root Sports Northwest
  • Pacers Record: 23-16
  • Jazz Record: 21-20

Pacers vs. Jazz injury reports

Pacers injury report

  • Not submitted yet

Jazz injury report

  • Taylor Hendricks – out
  • Johnny Juzang – out
  • Micah Potter – out
  • Jason Preston – out
  • Brice Sensabaugh – out

Pacers vs. Jazz key players to watch

Indiana Pacers

Bruce Brown: Bruce Brown has taken on a much bigger role the last three games with Haliburton sidelined, and he flirted with a triple-double on Sunday against Denver. Over this three-game stretch, Brown is averaging 15.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game. 

Utah Jazz

Lauri Markkanen: An All-Star last season, Markkanen is showing that form over his last five games, dropping at least 21 points in each of them. He’s going to be an issue for Indiana to deal with, as the team lacks a strong defender at the power forward spot if Aaron Nesmith is ruled out. In this five-game stretch, Markkanen is averaging 26.2 points per game while shooting 51.4 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from 3. 

Pacers vs. Jazz prediction and pick

This is a terrific matchup for Utah, as the team is not only elite at home, but the Pacers have been brutal on the second night of back-to-backs this season. 

The Jazz come into this game with a league-best 15-4 record against the spread at home, covering all three games on this homestand. 

Meanwhile, the Pacers are just 1-5 ATS with no rest, putting the team in a tough spot without Haliburton on Monday. 

Indiana’s offense has struggled a bit without the All-Star guard, and the team is turning the ball over at a high rate. On the season, the Pacers average 13.7 turnovers per game, but without Hali they have turned it over 51 times over their last three games, scoring 112, 126, and 109 points in those contests.

Indiana averages a league-best 126.1 points per game this season. 

Utah should be able to overwhelm this undermanned Pacers squad, especially after it played a hard-fought game in Denver on Sunday. 

I love the Jazz to keep up their insane home record tonight. 

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.

Home/Betting Content