OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER VS.  UTAH JAZZ ODDS AND PREDICTIONS FOR FEBRUARY 6, 2024

Greetings, basketball fans. Welcome back to our NBA coverage here at Latest Basketball News. One of the games on tap from tonight’s slate features the Oklahoma City Thunder (35-15 SU, 31-18-1ATS) taking on the Utah Jazz (25-26 SU, 30-21-2 ATS).

Here is a look at which team has the edge going into this matchup and why.

Tipoff

• When: Tuesday, February 6, 2024
  
• Time: 9:00 PM ET
  
• Where: Delta Center
  
• Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
  
• TV: KJZZ and BSOK 

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Utah Jazz Odds (Via DraftKings)

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Utah Jazz – Regular Season Stats & Betting Trends

Can The Thunder Slow Down The Jazz?

Oklahoma City Thunder Season Stats:

• Scoring Offense: 120.8 PPG – 4TH          
• Offensive Efficiency: 120.4 points per 100 possessions – 5TH              
• Scoring Defense: 112.8 PPG – 12TH         
• Defensive Efficiency: 112.4 points per 100 possessions – 6TH    

The Oklahoma City Thunder sit alongside the Minnesota Timberwolves with the best record in the Western Conference. They are 8-2 across their last 10 outings, and they have produced wins in each of their last three outings. 

This includes a double-overtime 135-127 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night. Josh Giddey was one of five Thunder players who scored 20 or more points in this contest. He led OKC with 24 points, six rebounds, and six assists. 

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 23 points, 14 assists, nine rebounds and two steals. Chet Holmgren and Lu Dort contributed 22 points apiece.  

OKC trailed by as many as 23 points in the third quarter (76-53) before mounting a furious comeback. 

“They made us uncomfortable in the first half,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said, via CBS Sports. “You never know how a team’s going to play you, so it took us obviously a little bit to calibrate that. It was an impressive show of confidence by our team … to go out there and get that one.”

In addition to overcoming a large deficit, the Thunder also stepped it up from 3-point range as well. After converting just 28 percent of their attempts in the first half (7-for-28), OKC converted 16 of its 35 attempts in the second half (45.7 percent). 

As good as the Thunder are, this is not the blueprint for success against a Utah team that also overcame a large deficit in its previous outing. 

Will The Jazz Rain On The Thunder?

Utah Jazz Season Stats:

• Scoring Offense: 117.7 PPG – 11TH  
• Offensive Efficiency: 116.7 points per 100 possessions – 15TH           
• Scoring Defense: 119.7 PPG – 23RD          
• Defensive Efficiency: 118.7 points per 100 possessions – 25TH       

Meanwhile, the Utah Jazz find themselves in the No. 10 spot in the conference playoff race. Utah has gone 4-6 in its last 10 outings and has dropped three of its last four decisions. 

However, the Jazz did snap a three-game losing skid with a 123-108 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday night. Lauri Markkanen set the tone for Utah’s offense with 21 points and three rebounds. He also tallied three rebounds and two assists.

Collin Sexton added 19 points and three assists. John Collins finished with a double-double that included 15 points and 10 rebounds. 

Like the Thunder, the Jazz trailed by as many as 19 points and were down 95-83 going into the final frame. In the fourth quarter, though, Utah outscored Milwaukee 40-13, enabling them to cruise to an eventual 15-point victory.  

“We were getting stops so it kind of feeds into the offense,” Markkanen said, via ESPN. “You always look at offense and defense separately, but they really go hand in hand. You get stops, you get out and run and then you get good shots.”

While the 19-point comeback was impressive, it is important to mention that the Bucks were playing on back-to-back nights. Should the Jazz spot the Thunder a large cushion, the outcome will be a different one. 

Now that we have set the table for this matchup, let us look at the betting trends for both sides.

The Picks

The Spread

The Thunder opened as a three-point favorite. At the time of this writing, the line has not moved (per pre-game.com). Here is a look at how both teams have fared against the spread this season. 

• The Thunder are 1-4 ATS in their last five games overall. 
• Oklahoma City is a perfect 6-0 ATS in its last six matchups against the Jazz. 
• In their last five road contests, the Thunder are 4-1 against the spread.
• The Jazz are 10-5 ATS in their last 15 games.
• Utah is 4-2 ATS in its last six matchups against Northwest Division opponents.
• In their last six homes that were played on a Tuesday, the Jazz are 4-2 against the spread.

Considering that OKC has covered in the last six head-to-head contests between these teams, going with the road team to cover is a smart bet here.

Prediction: Oklahoma City Thunder (-3)

Over/Under

The projected over/under total for this matchup opened at 243. points. The line has recently moved to 240.5 points. Here is why going with the “over” is the smart choice. 

• The total has gone OVER four times in the Thunder’s last five February games.
• The OVER total has prevailed eight times in the Jazz’s last 12 contests.
• In Utah’s last five matchups against OKC, the OVER total has cashed in four times.
• The OVER total is 4-1 in the Jazz’s last five matchups against Western Conference opponents. 

Prediction: OVER 240.5 points

Player Prop Bets

More times than not, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is my key player to watch for Thunder games. However, in this matchup, I am opting to go in a different direction and selecting Chet Holmgren as my player to watch for the road team. He currently has -115 odds of scoring more than 18.5 points and -115 odds of finishing with less than 18.5 points.

Here is a glance to see how his numbers compare to the projected points total for this matchup. 

• On the season, Holmgren is averaging 16.8 points per outing. 
• In 24 road contests this season, he is averaging 16.0 PPG.
• Holmgren has played against Western Conference opponents 32 times this season. In those contests, he is averaging 16.2 points per outing.
• The six times Holmgren has played on a Tuesday, his points-per-game average is 12.5. 
• Over his last 10 outings, Holmgren is averaging 26.6 PPG, exceeding the points total for this matchup twice during that stretch.

Going with the “under” for Holmgren is the smart choice based on the above trends.

Prediction: Chet Holmgren UNDER 18.5 points

The key player to watch for the home team is Lauri Markkanen. He currently has -105 odds of scoring more than 23.5 points and -125 odds of finishing with less than 23.5 points. 

Let us take a closer look to see how Markkanen’s numbers stack up against the projected points total for this matchup. 

• On the season, Markkanen is averaging 23.5 points per outing. 
• In 19 home contests, he is averaging 24.3 PPG.
• Markkanen has played against Western Conference opponents 21 times this season. In those contests, he is averaging 23.1 points per outing.
• In six matchups against Northwest Division opponents Markkanen has averaged 24.3 points per game.
• Over his last 10 outings, Markkanen has averaged 22.9 PPG, exceeding the points total for this matchup five times during that stretch.

Prediction: Lauri Markkanen OVER 23.5 points

James’s Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Utah Jazz Picks

• The Spread: Oklahoma City Thunder (-3)
• Over/Under: OVER 240.5 points
• Player Prop Bet #1: Chet Holmgren UNDER 18.5 points
• Player Prop Bet #2: Lauri Markkanen OVER 23.5 points