Utah Jazz at Oklahoma City Thunder
Time: 6 PM CT (NBA LP)
Spread: OKC -9
Total: 202
Odds c/o 5dimes
The Utah Jazz are 10-11 on the season and have lost four of its past six games and will travel to face Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder at 6 PM CT Sunday. The Jazz are 9-point underdogs in the game and the over/under is 202 at oddsmakers 5dimes.
Click HERE to see live NBA odds from major bookmakers!
Both teams last faced one another and this is the second of a back-to-back set. The Thunder won 94-90 in Utah sealing it in crunch time due to the heroics of Kevin Durant who scored the last 11 points for the Thunder including a pair of free throws to put it out of reach for the Jazz.
Durant finished with 21 points on 8 of 17 shooting while grabbing eight rebounds, dropping three dimes and coming up with a pair of steals and a block.
Point guard Russell Westbrook led the Thunder in scoring with 24 points and the Thunder got 30 points from its bench, led by 11 from Enes Kanter and 10 points from Dion Waiters. Typically this season, the Thunder have relied on Westbrook and Durant very heavily, but with their teammates providing some good backup the Thunder were able to improve to 15-8 on the year.
OKC has now won four straight games, with the previous victories having come over Atlanta, Memphis and Sacramento. The Thunder absolutely dismantled the Grizzlies 125-88, and it easily passed the Hawks too 107-94. It seems that Billy Donovan’s team is now fully gaining steam and looking like the contender most consider it to be. Durant and Westbrook are combining to average 53.4 points per game while both posting PERs over 30.
Getting more from Serge Ibaka is imperative, but perhaps the ones to step up most may be No. 4 and No. 5 scorers Enes Kanter and Dion Waiters. Kanter has been good in the 20 minutes he plays per game, shooting 55.4 percent from the floor and coming up with 7.8 rebounds per game.
The criticism has been Kanter’s defensive efforts, which is what keeps Steven Adams so relevant and valuable. Adams averages 1.69 blocks/steals per game but is not a big scorer, averaging just six points in his 23.6 minutes per game.
The Thunder have also backed off on the minutes for D.J. Augustin in preferring the more defensive minded Andre Roberson in the backcourt, while rookie Cameron Payne has appeared in just 11 games thus far and not been a factor at all. Payne was taken No. 14 overall and is considered a big prospect, but it is difficult to see how he factors into this team with Westbrook shining so bright and an effective experienced rotation around him.
The Jazz are about what most expected it to be, and Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors are hoping this team has enough to propel itself into the postseason this year. Gordon Hayward is averaging 18.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game while posting a PER of 18.4. Favors is now having his best career season after having made a big stride last year. He is posting 17.2 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.95 blocks/steals per game.
Realistically, this has to be Favors’ first legit chance at making the All-Star team, while Hayward has to be in consideration as well.
The Jazz are a good team on both ends of the court and have played without Rudy Gobert for a couple weeks now. Gobert gave the Jazz the No. 1 defensive rating in the league last season after the All-Star break, but the time table on his knee is still not yet determined, though he has shown improvement.
The 7’1” center is a premier shot blocker and could reasonably make the Jazz a tough enough defensive team again to make waves in the postseason. While the Jazz may not yet be on the cusp of contention, teams will fear a defensive effort like the one the Jazz give even if the Thunder are 9-point favorites in this game Sunday.
