New Orleans Hornets at Utah Jazz
Wednesday, 11/24/2010, 9:00 PM EST
Opening Point Spread: Utah -4
Current Betting Line: Utah -3.5
Opening Total: 192.5
Current Total: 191.5
Current Moneyline: Utah -160 / New Orleans +140
New Orleans dropped an inexcusable 99-95 contest on the road to the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night in a game that star point guard Chris Paul saw coming. “For the past three or four games, we’ve just been getting by,” he commented. “They say winning cures all. But hopefully, with this loss, we’ll get back to paying attention to what we’ve got to do as a unit defensively.” The Hornets had a 14-game winning streak against the Clippers snapped, which was the longest current streak against any one opponent in the NBA. The team has won three in a row heading into the Staples Center, but those victories came by a combined 13 points. New Orleans is 4-0 ATS as an underdog this year and the NBA lines page has them getting points tonight.
The Hornets defense allowed the Clippers to shoot 50.7 percent from the floor, matching the only other time an opponent has shot 50 percent against them. The Mavericks shot 50.7 percent in a 99-97 loss to the Hornets on November 17. New Orleans lost its three meetings with Utah last season, but Paul miss all of the defeats due to injury. The team will emphasize getting back to its defensive ways in playing the third game of a four-game West Coast road trip. Guard Jarrett Jack will be playing in his second game since being acquired in a trade with Toronto, as he scored 12 points in 16 minutes of action on Saturday.
Utah comes in with a solid 10-5 record and 4-5 mark against Western Conference opponents. Point guard Deron Williams must improve upon his recent play in order to tally a victory tonight, scoring a season-low 12 points in each of the last two games, going 7-for-27 from the field. The Jazz bench has bailed him out with their recent play, scoring 35.5 a game over that span. “They have been instrumental in a lot of our wins,” Williams said. “They have come together.” The All-Star guard averaged 19.3 points and 12 assists in the series against New Orleans last year. Utah is 9-5 ATS as a home favorite of 3.5 to 6 points the last three years.
The Jazz are coming off a 94-83 home victory over the Sacramento Kings, coasting to victory after leading by as many as 25 points early in the fourth quarter. “I thought our second group came in and gave us some life,” said head coach Jerry Sloan. “We had a difficult time getting going.” He has also voiced his concerns about the team’s ability to rebound, especially after the Kings grabbed 11 more boards on Monday night, with the Jazz losing the battle on the glass in six straight games. Utah is 37-19 all-time against the Hornets with a 21-7 record at home. The squad has won 12 of the past 14 meetings.
Bettors will be interested in knowing that the Hornets are 9-19 ATS versus the Northwest Division, while the Jazz are 0-6 ATS in their last six home games versus a team with a winning road record.
