Utah Jazz at New Orleans Hornets
Friday, 12/17/10, 8:00 PM EDT
Opening Point Spread: Utah -1
Current Betting Line: Utah -1.5
Opening Total: 189
Current Total: 189.5
Utah enters Friday night’s contest with an 18-8 overall record and 7-3 mark on the road. The Jazz are coming off a 108-95 home win over the Golden State Warriors on Monday and were led by point guard Deron Williams. He will be looking to match a career high with his fourth straight game with 30 or more points tonight. “I have to say this is as good as I have ever seen him play,” said head coach Jerry Sloan. “He’s been sensational, really. He just took the game over and put it in his hands.” The team will now embark on a four-game road trip starting tonight and look to improve upon its 7-3 record away from Salt Lake City. Utah is 16-10 ATS on the year and is a slight road favorite on the NBA lines page for this Western Conference showdown.
The Jazz are a dominating 38-19 all-time against the Hornets with a 22-7 record at home and 16-12 mark on the road. Utah has won the last four meetings in New Orleans and the last four overall. Williams has been rock solid versus tonight’s opponent, dishing out at least 10 assists in 10 of the past 11 meetings. He has also led the club to a 12-3 record against the Hornets when facing off against New Orleans point guard Chris Paul. Offensively, the key number is reaching the century mark, with the team posting a 13-1 record when scoring 100-plus points. The Jazz have also recorded a 5-1 record in games decided by six points or less.
New Orleans has been scuffling since starting the year with the best record in basketball and snapped a three-game losing streak with a 94-91 victory over Sacramento. The win didn’t come easy and saw the club down by 23 points in the second half, but guard Marcus Thornton led the rally by scoring a season-high 19 points. “He didn’t give up,” Paul said of Thornton. “He knows we’re going to need him and the next game might not call for 25 minutes from him, but we need that same energy.” The Hornets are 10-3 at home on the year and have gone 5-2 at the New Orleans Arena versus conference opponents. New Orleans is 5-3 ATS as an underdog.
The Hornets have lost nine of their last 13 games and many are blaming it on an offense that has failed to score 100 or more points in 14 outings. New Orleans has also been out-rebounded in 10 of the last 16 games. It can’t all be blamed on the offensive unit, as the defense has surrendered 96.0 points a night over the last 13 games compared to just 90.4 in the first 12 to start the season.
Bettors will be interested in the Jazz being 5-1-1 ATS on the road, while the Hornets are 2-6 ATS at home.
The NBA handicappers at Maddux Sports are enjoying a fantastic season and can’t wait to exploit tonight’s full card on the hard court!
