Game Time: 9:00 PM ET, Saturday, January 1st, 2022 

Venue:  Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah

Where to Watch:  NBA TV

DraftKings:  Spread: Jazz -4.5; O/U 221.5

BetMGM:  Spread:  NL

VegasInsider:  Spread:  Jazz -4.5; O/U 221.5

Warriors: 27-7, 1st place Western Conference

Jazz: 25-9, 3rd place Western Conference

A matchup of fantastic Western Conference opponents.  Both teams are loaded with great shooters and play some of the best defense in any basketball.  The Western Conference has the two best teams in the NBA at the moment… the Golden State Warriors and the Phoenix Suns… while the third best is also in the Western Conference… it’s the Utah Jazz!  All three of these teams are a smidge better in record than the Brooklyn Nets or the Chicago Bulls back East.  

The Golden State Warriors have the NBA’s best record and have been playing great.  When Klay Thompson went down 2 ½ seasons ago with an ACL injury and then went down again with an achilles tear, and in total has missed 2 full seasons… the Warriors spent two full seasons as a bad team (Kevin Durant left them at the same time Klay went down) and were forced to make trades and draft lottery selections to try and keep the ship afloat.  Then this season they came out of the gate hard… It turned out the additions of Andrew Wiggins, Kevon Looney, Jordan Poole, Jonathan Kuminga, Otto Porter Jr, and James Wiseman (who went out with knee surgery in November) have all worked.  Behind the best shooter that ever lived, Steph Curry, and the best results from hustle getter ever, Draymond Green, is a fully functional ready to roll NBA Championship contender… Oh and Klay Thompson is due back any day now.  The Warriors are 7-3 over their last ten games and that may be their worst ten day stretch of the season.  They are also 21-11-2 ATS… Not too shabby.  They lost their last game to the Denver Nuggets and are underdogs in this game because PF Draymond Green and backup SG Damion Lee have hit the Covid list.  The good news for the Warriors (and every squad) is the League and the NBAPA have come to an agreement on new quarantine rules that will allow players to come back sooner from a positive test.

The Utah Jazz are the sneaky good team that no one has been expecting.  They are led by dynamic SG Donovan Mitchell who normally plays alongside the incredible veteran PG Mike Conley… sure, Mike’s best days are behind him but he is skilled and steady.  Unfortunately Mitchell will be out with back pain, but the team can lean on Defensive stud C Rudy Gobert and the hot shooting tandem of SF Bojan Bogdanovic and SG Joe Ingles.  The Jazz are on a five-game winning streak and have won 8 of their last ten.  The dominant play of late gas helped them take full control of third place in the West… and they are slowly creeping up on the Suns and the Warriors. In fact, a Jazz win in this game would make it a logjam of all three teams around the first place mark with a 5 game separation from #4 the Memphis Grizzlies.

Al McMordie was 3-3 yesterday, as he cashed his NHL Game of the Week on Washington, as well as hoops plays on William and Mary and Alabama. Big Al's now 41-26 his last 67, and is featuring this NBA Elite Info Winner out of a 115-70 ATS situation. Don't miss out!! Go get it! Get Big Al's picks right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers. NCAAF, NFL, MLB… get positive value from all your bets! Expert picks!  Fun fact… winning a wager is much better than making a wager!

The Warriors are 27-7 on the season, but 21-11-2 ATS.  They have logged 11 Overs, 22 Unders, and 1 Push.  They are 11-4 in road games.

The Jazz are 25-9 on the season, but 17-17 ATS.  They have notched 17 Overs, 16 Unders, and 1 Push.  They are 13-6 in home games.

The Warriors are 7th in points with 110.9 per game, 5th in rebounds with 46.3 per game, and 13th in AST/TO ratio with 1.7.  They are shooting 4th in FG%, 5th in 3PT%, and the achilles heel if there is such a thing 26th in FT%.  The icing for the Warriors all year long ius they are the #1 defense in the NBA… only allowing 100.9 points per matchup.

The Jazz are 1st in points with 115.9 per game, 1st in rebounds with 47.6 per game, and 22nd in AST/TO ratio with 1.6.  They are shooting the lights out: 1st in FG%, 6th in 3PT%, and 18th in FT%.  They are 7th in defense while only allowing 105.6 ppg

 

Our prediction for Saturday, January 1st is…. Jazz 105 - Warriors 103

It will be a close game and I would put money on the Warriors if I could get the 4 ½ points.  It is very rare to get points when betting on the Warriors… take advantage of the betting opportunity. It's also a good time to finally bet the Under in this series.  Both teams are at the apex of defensive numbers and both will be missing a skilled offensive player… This series has gone OVER the last 7 times… the Under is due.

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The Warriors are 2-1 ATS versus Utah at Utah the last 3 seasons.

The Warriors are 4-3 ATS versus Utah the last 3 seasons.

Over the last 3 seasons this series has gone OVER all 7 times.

Warriors: PF Draymond Green (covid) Out ** SG Damion Lee (covid) Out ** SG Klay Thompson (knee) OUT, C James Wiseman (knee) OUT

Jazz: SG Donovan Mitchell (back) Quest ** SF Joe Ingles (back) Quest ** PF Eric Paschall (personal) Quest ** PG Mike Conley (rest) Quest

The Jazz injury list is long.  That is because they will be playing the Minnesota Timberwolves, who are also missing players, New Year’s Eve… These guys are getting some rest and you should expect to see most if not all of them back in time to play the Warriors.

Warriors: SF Andrew Wiggins, PF Juan Toscano-Anderson, C Kevon Looney, SG Gary Payton Jr, PG Stephen Curry

Jazz: PF Royce O’Neale, SF Bojan Bogdanovic, C Rudy Gobert, SG Joe Ingles, PG Mike Conley

Warriors

Points: Stephen Curry 27.7

Assists: Draymond Green 7.5

Rebounds: Draymond Green 7.9

Steals: Stephen Curry 1.6

Blocks: Draymond Green 1.2

Jazz

Points: Donovan Mitchell 25.4

Assists: Mike Conley 5.3

Rebounds: Rudy Gobert 14.9

Steals: Donovan Mitchell 1.6

Blocks: Rudy Gobert 2.3

Warriors: Steve Kerr

Jazz: Quin Snyder