Trail Blazers vs Jazz Picks and Predictions: Blazers Look Burnt Out

The Jazz have been wreaking havoc at home, while the Blazers are beginning to look truly lost without Damian Lillard. See how our NBA picks are backing the home side for Saturday's showdown of surprising West squads.

Dec 3, 2022 • 10:40 ET • 4 min read
Lauri Markkanen Utah Jazz
Photo By - USA TODAY Sports

The upstart Utah Jazz continue to crash the party in the Western Conference playoff picture and can pad their record tonight against the faltering Portland Trail Blazers.

The Jazz are blowing past all expectations this season after trading Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert — and last night’s dominant 139-119 win over the Indiana Pacers was their latest well-balanced performance.

By contrast, Damian Lillard’s absence has taken the gloss off the Trail Blazers’ hot start and they’ve been treading water ever since. Back-to-back losses to the Clippers and Lakers midweek dropped Portland to .500.

Check out our free Trail Blazers vs. Jazz NBA picks and predictions for everything you need to know about this Saturday, December 3 matchup.

Trail Blazers vs Jazz best odds

Trail Blazers vs Jazz picks and predictions

After a mini-slide this month, the Jazz seem to be recapturing their early season form, and the beauty of their season is that it’s not just one player leading the way. Last night, five players scored 16 or more points as Utah piled up 139 against the Pacers.

Even on the second night of a back-to-back set, this feels like a great matchup for the Jazz, who have the bench depth to overcome any schedule fatigue. The Trail Blazers are on a three-game losing run, have dropped eight of their last 10 games, and are dealing with an ever-growing injury list. 

Portland hopes to have Lillard back on the court tomorrow night against the Pacers – until then, the scoring burden sits with Anfernee Simons and Jerami Grant. That duo has answered the call impressively, but where is the rest of the scoring coming from? Against the Clippers on Tuesday, Simons and Grant combined for 69 points, but it still wasn’t enough.

Meanwhile, Utah continues to get contributions up and down the roster (hands up if you had the Jazz penciled in as the league’s third-highest-scoring offense!). Lauri Markkanen has emerged as the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, but the Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton tandem gives the backcourt plenty of offensive punch. All three should be productive against a depleted Portland defense.

Plus, Utah has enjoyed the upper hand in prior meetings, winning the last five and eight of the past 10. I see the Jazz extending that streak tonight with another strong outing and covering this small spread.

My best bet: Jazz -4.5 (-110 at BetMGM)

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Trail Blazers vs Jazz spread analysis

It was inevitable that the Jazz would be favored here given their solid home form (8-3 this season) and the Trail Blazers’ injury woes. If anything, the line could be higher than 4.5 — and perhaps it would be if Utah hadn’t also played last night.

The numbers certainly point in the Jazz’s favor. Portland is 0-5 ATS in the last five meetings, 4-9 ATS in its last 13 games in Utah, and 1-4 ATS in its last five games overall. The Jazz have covered the spread in their last six games following a SU win of more than 10 points.

If Josh Hart and Drew Eubanks are ruled out, Chauncey Billups will be left with a skeleton rotation to work with against a Jazz team that got 60 points from its bench against the Pacers. That’s just another reason to feel good about the hosts’ chances.

To make matters worse, the Trail Blazers’ offense is predictably sputtering without Lillard. On Wednesday night, Portland fell away in the second half and couldn’t keep pace with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Trail Blazers vs Jazz Over/Under analysis

Tonight’s contest has all the right ingredients to hit the Over. The Jazz are scoring for fun and face a Trail Blazers defense that gave up 128 points last time out. Without Hart and Nassir Little, Portland could be in even more trouble here.

Utah is averaging 117 points a game thanks to a rotation packed with proven scorers. So, the bigger wildcard tonight is the Trail Blazers’ offense — and whether Simons and Grant can once again deliver efficient nights against a defense sure to be game-planning for them. Justise Winslow and Shaedon Sharpe did at least show promising flashes as third and fourth options against the Lakers. 

I’m still leaning towards the Over though, which has hit in Utah’s last six games after a SU win and in six of its last seven games after an ATS win. The Portland numbers back that up too, with the Trail Blazers’ last five games after an ATS loss all cashing in the Over.

Trail Blazers vs Jazz betting trend to know

The Over is 6-1-1 in the Trail Blazers’ last eight games after a SU loss. Find more NBA betting trends for Trail Blazers vs. Jazz.

Trail Blazers vs Jazz game info

Location: Vivint Arena, Salt Lake City, UT
Date: Saturday, December 3, 2022
Tip-off: 9:00 p.m. ET
TV: ATTSN, ROOT Sports

Trail Blazers vs Jazz key injuries

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