Utah Jazz AT New Orleans Hornets
April 11, 2011 at 8 PM EST
Opening Line:  NO -7.5
Current Line:  NO -7
Opening Total:  193
Current Total : 193.5
Opening Moneyline:  NO -300 / Uta +250
Current Moneyline:  NO -310 / Uta +260

For as good as Chris Paul has been throughout his short NBA career, he like every player has his struggles.  He’s scored 7 points or less in 3 of the last  5 Hornets games, and was held scoreless last night in Memphis, going 0 of 6 from the floor, as the Hornets lost by 22.

“I just couldn’t make nothing,” Paul said. “There’s a first time for everything. I had some good looks, they just didn’t go in. The only thing we can control is our wins and losses…We’re one of those teams, we haven’t been together long enough to say this is who we want to play, or who we don’t want to play. We’ve just got to continue to play, deal with it as a team, and deal with who we have to play when we get to it.”

Previously, when Utah and New Orleans matched up, fans were treated to watching two of the best young point guards in the game go at it in Deron Williams and Chris Paul.  Utah, however, mysteriously and unexpectedly traded Williams at the trade deadline and have been punished ever since, winning just 6 of 23 games and falling from the playoff picture altogether.

“We gotta finish this season with our head up high and have some pride for ourselves. We just ain’t going out here and lay down,” Jazz center Al Jefferson said.  “We’re going to play hard.”

Some betting trends:

The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Utah’s last 7 games and the Jazz are 1-10 SU in their last 11 games.  The Jazz are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games and the total has gone UNDER in 4 of their last 5 on the road.  Utah is 1-7 SU in their last 8 on the road and the total has gone UNDER in 5 of the last 7 games against the New Orleans Hornets.  Utah is 12-4 SU in their last 16 games against the Hornets and the Jazz are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games on the road against the Hornets.  Utah is 8-13-1 ATS in their last 23 road games against the Hornets.

The total has gone OVER in 4 of the Hornets’ last 6 games and New Orlenas is 4-2 SU in their last 6.  The Hornets are 4-1 SU in their last 5 at home and the total has gone UNDER in 5 of their last 7 against Utah.  New Orleans is 4-12 SU in their last 16 against the Jazz and the Hornets are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 against Utah.  New Orleans is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games against the Jazz and the Hornets are 1-4 SU in their last 5 at home against the Utah Jazz.

Key Matchups:

Devin Harris vs. Chris Paul

It’s not that Devin Harris has been that bad since he got to Utah.  It’s just that the Jazz were more dependent upon Deron Williams than perhaps any body realized.  Harris has posted a decent line of 15.3 points per game and 5.4 assists per game in 30 minutes of play a night.  He’s also backed up by Earl Watson, perhaps one of the best backup point guards in the league.  They’ll both butt heads with the struggling Chris Paul who might take this opportunity to take it to the Jazz and emerge from his recent slump.  Harris is a decent defender and with his 6’3″ frame he can frustrate Paul if he plays tight defense.  However, Paul is a master ball handler and will eventually exploit Harris.  The edge at this position goes to the Hornets, leaving the Jazz to have to catch up in the front court.

Paul Millsap & Al Jefferson vs. Carl Landry & Emeka Okafor

Utah has the advantage here.  Millsap and Jefferson are both good scorers and rebounders, while Landry is the only one of New Orleans’ tandem that can score a lot.

Okafor is a decent scorer but is the worst of the four with only 10.5 points per game.  His rebounding has been steady at 9.6 a game, half a rebound higher than last season.  His blocked shots are also up from 1.6 last season to 1.8 this season.  Okafor, despite being listed at 6’10” is much closer to 6’7″ but with his length he has been able to make up for it.  Many thought when he entered the league that he would be Ben Wallace PLUS offense, but he hasn’t quite played at Big Ben’s peak level.  He should be able to keep Jefferson from having a monster game though, as Millsap and Landry more or less cancel one another out.

In theory Utah should be well matched to give New Orleans a game, but the Jazz have been turning the ball over far too often and the Hornets are playing for seeding, while Utah is playing for nothing but pride.