After suffering two straight losses, the Utah Jazz finds themselves facing the Charlotte Hornets. Charlotte has one of the best offenses in the NBA, and the Jazz have struggled against great offenses.
With a few players ruled out for the Jazz, they’ll look to Gobert and Mitchell to lead them to a win. However, with how they’ve performed lately, the Hornets could be the better pick.
The Charlotte Hornets are coming off of a 121-106 loss to the New York Knicks. For one of the best offenses in the NBA, the Knicks found a way to keep them from scoring.
Tonight, they face a strong interior defense led by Rudy Gobert. LaMelo Ball will look to get his team needed win on Friday night, but it’s easier said than done. Let’s build a single-game parlay for this game, but can also be a parlay pick.
Game Preview: Utah Jazz at Charlotte Hornets
The Utah Jazz has one of the top-ranked offenses in the NBA, although they haven’t shown it lately. On average, Utah scores 113.66 points per game, ranking sixth in the NBA.
However, in their last two losses, they’ve barely scored over 100 points. A few nights ago, the Boston Celtics beat them 125-97. Another performance like that, and the Hornets will walk away with this one.
The Charlotte Hornets average 114.84 points per game, ranking fifth in the NBA. However, similar to the Jazz, this hasn’t translated to wins lately. Falling to the New York Knicks by nearly 20 points was a bad look for the Hornets.
Still, leading up to that loss, the Hornets had won five straight games. Team basketball is how they win games, and that’s how they’ll beat the Jazz.
Against the Spread: Charlotte Hornets +3.5
This is a great margin for the Charlotte Hornets because even if they lose, there’s a little bit of room. However, we don’t believe the Hornets will lose this game; in fact, we think they’ll win by more than five.
At home, the Charlotte Hornets are 19-17-1 against the spread, while the Jazz is 15-20-1 ATS on the road. Overall, the Hornets have a 39-32-2 record ATS this season.
The Total: UNDER 230.5
Although both of these teams have high-powered offenses, something strange happens when they face each other. In their last game, in December of 2021, the total was set at 237.5.
By the end of the game, the total went well under the spread when the game finished, 112-102. It would seem that these two offenses often cancel each other out, so we’ll take the under in this one.
Win Margin: Charlotte Hornets 1-10 (+230)
This is a great pick to add because it will increase your winnings for the night. Charlotte is a great team and has taken down teams like the Cavaliers and Mavericks.
Both of those teams have strong defenses, and the Hornets were able to overcome them. Look for Charlotte to win this game, with the winning margin staying between 1-10.
To Score 15+ Points: LaMelo Ball (-500)
LaMelo Ball plays some of his best basketball against the Utah Jazz. On average, Ball scores 19.8 points per game; however, when facing the Jazz, it goes up to 21 points. We wish there was a wager on how many assists he’ll have since he averages 11 per game against Utah.