Utah Jazz vs. Brooklyn Nets Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 3/21/2022

Time: 7:30 p.m. ET

Venue: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY

Where to watch: YES, ATTSN-RM

DraftKings: Check back later

BetMGM: Check back later

Caesars: Check back later

Jazz: 45-26

Nets: 37-34

I think we're trying to discover where the Utah Jazz are at right now. Are they contenders, or are they right at the cut line of really good but not good enough? And the more we evaluate where they are as a team and whether or not they can contend with the likes of phoenix and Golden State, we are left to be reminded that last season this group was the number one seed in the Western Conference.

And had it not been for the Los Angeles Clippers going full on destroyer of worlds, Utah might have been in the position to play phoenix in the Western Conference finals and things may have turned out a little bit differently.

Utah is it an interesting position right now, coming off a 121- 92 victory over the Clippers on Friday night. Right now, Utah is in a battle with the Dallas Mavericks as it pertains to the four and five seed. Thanks to two losses from Dallas over the weekend at Philadelphia and at Charlotte, Utah finds itself as the number 4 knowing it will face Dallas eventually.

Is this group good enough right now to defeat Dallas in a seven-game series? That I'm still not sure of. But Utah is coming in to this matchup against Brooklyn having won three of its last four including back to back double digit victories against the Clippers and surprisingly the Chicago Bulls.

On a night where Donovan Mitchell did not play, it was Gerard Butler coming off the bench with 21 points and 25 minutes and Jordan Clarkson also chipping in with 20 points, 8 rebounds, and five assists off the bench. Rudy Gobert had 19 points and 16 rebounds in another traditional dominant affair for the big man as Utah scored 71 points in the first half and held the Clippers to 34. That is absurd.

"We didn't give them any opportunity to get back in the game," Gobert said. "Everyone was already locked in defensively and then offensively we know we're going to score. We've got a lot of talent."

Just think of the fact that they were doing that performance against Los Angeles without its leading scorer. Utah is a very dangerous team, and even though we're not really sure where they stand as far as the pecking order of the Western Conference, does anyone really want to face a fully healthy Utah team? I would not want to.

Now I don't want to actually sit here and believe that the Brooklyn Nets are back on track and I feel like I've set this very recently. But the Nets find the way to reel me back in whether it is with Kyrie Irving or not, the Nets always find a way to hook me back in.

Ended his get to be the most annoying thing ever imaginable for this situation. Because I know for a fact that the Nets defeating the portland trail blazers 128- 123 the other night is not the most convincing victory that we've seen on this side of the Mississippi from Brooklyn.

But it's the fact that they are finding ways to win that intrigues me yet scares me at the same time because I have just been so adamant about not wanting to believe in Brooklyn. I just think the situation with them this year has been so self inflicted that it has made me not want to care if they do well. And the fact that we don't even know if Ben Simmons is going to be appearing at all this season really puts more skepticism in my head when it comes to this team.

But in that five point home victory over Portland the other night, Kevin Durant once again went full nuclear going off for 38 points on 11 of 15 shooting and making all but one of his 15 free throw attempts. Seth Curry also finished with 27 points on seven made three pointers, and the Nets shot close to 59% from the floor while with standing Portland 50% shooting.

"We needed that and good to see him back out there," Durant said of Curry. "He missed a few games with that ankle but I'm glad he's getting better and he was able to come out here and play and we needed all those points tonight."

Brooklyn currently sits in 8th place in the Eastern Conference and would be in the play in round should the playoffs begin today. And if the season were to begin they would be playing the Charlotte Hornets in their first play in game. I don't think anybody atop the Eastern Conference would actually want to play Brooklyn in a first round series. But things could change in a drop of a dime when the series shifts to Brooklyn and Kyrie still isn't available. There is that caveat.

When I look at the matchups here, and the fact that it is in Brooklyn, I feel that the Nets are going to need another big performance from Seth Curry in order to come close to winning this matchup. Because Utah with or without Mitchell is going to have the advantage inside when it comes to Rudy gobert going against Andre Drummond. And I think Utah going on the road may not be the best recipe for success, but Brooklyn right now is in a world of uncertainty and things would change for the better if kairi were to play sooner rather than later. So give me the road team. Jazz by 8

The Jazz are 13-14 ATS against Atlantic Division opponents the past three seasons.

The Nets are 7-26 ATS at home this season.

The Nets are 1-8 ATS this season against Northwest Division opponents.

PG: Jordan Clarkson

SG: Donovan Mitchell

SF: Royce O'Neale

PF: Rudy Gay

C: Rudy Gobert

PG: Goran Dragic

SG: Seth Curry

SF: Bruce Brown

PF: Kevin Durant

C: Andre Drummond

Points: Donovan Mitchell -- 25.7

Rebounds: Rudy Gobert -- 14.8

Assists: Donovan Mitchell -- 5.5

Points: Kevin Durant -- 29.4

Rebounds: Andre Drummond -- 9.6

Assists: Kevin Durant -- 6.0