Utah Jazz vs. LA Lakers Odds & Pick ATS 1/17/22

Utah Jazz (29-14 SU, 20-22-1 ATS) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (21-22 SU, 17-26-0 ATS)

When: Monday, Jan. 17th, 2022, 10:30 pm (ET)

Where: Crypto.com Center, Los Angeles, CA

TV: NBA TV/Spectrum SportsNet

Point Spread: UTA -5/LAL +5 (Opened at 5 at EveryGame – Sign up through our link and use bonus code ROOKIE200 after you’ve made a $25 deposit and they’ll give you a FREE $50 bet!)

Total: 231.5 (Opened at 232)

Money Line: UTA -200/LAL +150

Power Rating: UTA -6

Probable Starting Lineups

Utah Jazz: PG Mike Conley, SG Donovan Mitchell, SF Bojan Bogdanovic, PF Royce O’Neale, C Rudy Gobert

Los Angeles Lakers: PG Russell Westbrook, SG Malik Monk, SF Avery Bradley, PF LeBron James, C Dwight Howard

Key Injuries

Utah Jazz: C Hassan Whiteside *Out* (Covid), G Jared Butler *Out* (Covid), G Elijah Hughes *Out* (Covid)

Los Angeles Lakers: C Dwight Howard *Probable* (Knee), F Carmelo Anthony *Questionable* (Back), F LeBron James *Probable* (Abdomen), F Anthony Davis *Out* (Knee), G Kendrick Nunn *Out* (Covid)

Recent Form

The Utah Jazz come into this game with a 29-14 record and sit 3rd in the Western Conference. After struggling to start the month of January, the Jazz broke open their offense once again last time on the floor. After dropping four straight, the Jazz took it to the Nuggets in a 125-102 final, coming alive in the fourth quarter to run away with the game. Donovan Mitchell put up his typical 31-point game, but the difference in this game was getting help on the offensive end from other starters like Bogdanovic and Gobert who put up 21 and 18 points respectively. Going into this game, the Jazz face another top offense in the Lakers, but face an easier defense than they’ve faced the last two games. The Jazz offense is led in scoring by Donovan Mitchell, who is averaging 25.7 PPG this season. Offensively, the Jazz are averaging a league-best 115.3 PPG. On defense, the Jazz are 12th in the league, allowing 107.5 PPG.

The Los Angeles Lakers head into this matchup against the Jazz with a 21-22 record and sit 8th in the Western Conference. After putting a rough month of basketball behind them, the Lakers seemed to find their groove notching three wins to start January. That spark fizzled out quickly as the Lakers now matched their three-game win streak with a three-game losing streak. The Los Angeles defense has never been the cornerstone of this team this season, and it was a matter of time before a bad defensive night met a cold shooting night. In their last game against the Nuggets, this was exactly what happened. The Lakers managed just 96 points of offense, and allowed the Nuggets to score 133 points. Mind you the Nuggets aren’t a top offense in the league, so this recent collapse of the Lakers is concerning. The Lakers starting five didn’t have the best game to start with, but the biggest eye opener is the bench contributing just 32 points between seven players. Hosting another high-scoring offense tonight may expose the Lakers yet again as the Jazz are looking to keep their momentum going. The Lakers are led by Lebron, who is scoring 28.9 PPG this season. Los Angeles as a unit is the 5th best scoring offense at 111.7 PPG. The Lakers defense continues to slide as now they are the 27th best scoring defense, allowing 113.3 PPG.

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Utah on the Road

After a tough stretch of games, the Jazz were able to snap their four-game skid and get back into the win column Sunday night. Now with a 15-6 road record, the Jazz visit a distraught Lakers team, but walking in and getting a win won’t be as easy as they’d like. For starters, the Jazz are coming off a game Sunday night in Denver and now travel to Los Angeles with no rest. Utah this season hasn’t played well on back-to-back nights, going 3-8 ATS in their last eleven games playing without rest. Luckily for the Jazz, they visit a team who seems to have gone back to their old ways of playing lackluster defense and trying to win a shootout. While as a spectator it’s fun to watch, going blow for blow down the stretch, the Jazz are better on both sides of the court and have the youth and ball security to outlast teams like the Lakers. The Jazz will ride their momentum from last night’s win into this game and come out fast in the first two quarters where they are 4th best in the league in first half points.

Lakers at Home

After two rough games on the road, the Lakers return home where they are 14-11 this season. While 14-11 looks good for a straight up record at home, the Lakers have struggled with the spread when hosting this season. Los Angeles is 9-16 ATS at home and struggles when playing against good road teams. In their last four games, the Lakers are 0-4 ATS against teams with a winning road record and just 4-13 ATS in their last 17 games overall against teams with a winning record. The Lakers have been able to get wins over some of the bottom teams in the league, but against teams that matter and ones that they may see again in the postseason, they have been no match in stopping high powered offenses like the Jazz. To add to their sub-par defense, the offense has gotten back to their old ways of turning the ball over left and right, giving up the ball 15.1 times per game at home, which is 4th-worst in the league. Giving the best scoring offense in the NBA extra chances with poor decision making with the ball is a recipe for disaster for the Lakers in this one.

The Historicals

Monday night’s contest will be the first time these teams meet this season. Looking back at the last few seasons, the Jazz have won two of the last three games, but going back farther, the Lakers have won five of the last seven matchups.

How the Public is Betting the Jazz vs. Lakers

59% are betting the Jazz against the spread.

68% are wagering on the game to go over the posted total of 231.5.

Betting Trends Worth Noting

• The Utah Jazz are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games vs. teams with a winning home record.
• The Utah Jazz are 3-8 ATS in their 11 games playing on 0 days’ rest.
• The Los Angeles Lakers are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games as a home underdog.
• The Los Angeles Lakers are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 home games vs. teams with a winning road record.
• Over is 4-0 in Utah’s last 4 road games.
• Over is 5-0 in the Lakers’ last 5 games.
• The Utah Jazz are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games against the Lakers.

Collin’s Pick for Jazz/Lakers

This Western Conference features two teams at different ends in the standings with the Jazz consistently at the top and the Lakers struggling to stay out of the play-in tournament cesspool. The Jazz were able to put to bed their losing streak with a win over a great defensive team last time on the floor. The Lakers come in losers of three straight games and have no answers for teams with high-scoring offenses. Also taking into consideration, the Lakers moved LeBron back to his typical Power Forward position after the team saw most of their success with him at Center this season. This move pulls LeBron out of the paint where he is forced to take tougher shots and wear himself down more easily. As for the Jazz, despite playing on back-to-back nights, their offense will come alive once again facing a team that has lost their touch over the past week. It will also help getting extra opportunities with the Lakers ball handling issues. Take the Utah Jazz to cover the 5-point spread. Got a minute? It’s a GREAT day to take a few minutes to learn how you can save money every time you bet! —> Reduced Juice Sports Betting!