The 2022 NBA Playoffs First Round continues Thursday, April 28, with the Western Conference battle from Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, so we bring you the best Mavericks vs. Jazz betting pick and odds. 

Dallas visits Utah for Game 6, and the Mavericks are one step away from the conference semifinals. According to MyBookie Sportsbook, the Mavs are small 1.5-point road favorites with a total of 209.5 points.

The Mavericks destroyed the Jazz in Game 5        

The Dallas Mavericks (55-32; 51-34-2 ATS) put on a tremendous performance in Game 5 this past Monday. They trounced the Jazz 102-77 as 3-point home favorites with a total of 212.5 points. Dallas dominated Utah from start to finish, holding the Jazz below a 20-point mark in each of the first three quarters.

Luka Doncic led the way for the Mavericks with 33 points, 13 rebounds, and five assists. Jalen Brunson accounted for 24 points, five boards, and four dishes, while Dorian Finney-Smith added 13 points, five rebounds, four dimes, and one steal.

After a narrow 100-99 defeat in Game 4, the Mavs continued to play tough defense. Doncic showed that a calf injury is way behind him, while Brunson enjoyed another wonderful game. Jalen has averaged 28.6 points throughout this series, shooting 47.7% from the field and 34.5% from beyond the arc.

The Jazz were awful in Game 5, Mitchell had nine points                 

The Utah Jazz (51-36; 34-50-3 ATS) looked completely lost in Game 5. They shot only 37.7% from the field and 10.0% from beyond the 3-point line (3-for-30). The Jazz handed out a paltry 12 assists while turning the ball over 13 times.

Utah trailed by as many as 33 points last Monday. Jordan Clarkson accounted for 20 points in 32 minutes off the bench, while Utah’s starting lineup combined for 35 points. Donovan Mitchell finished with nine points on 4-for-15 shooting from the field, Bojan Bogdanovic missed all of his nine attempts, while Mike Conley had four points and five assists.

Clarkson had 25 points in that one-point victory in Game 4. He’s averaging 18.0 points on 60.3% shooting from the field over his previous five outings. The Jazz are making only eight triples per game on a 27.8 percentage clip this postseason.

Trends:

Dallas:

  • 4-1 ATS in the last five games overall
  • 9-1 ATS in the last ten games against Utah    

Utah:

  • 1-4 ATS in the last five games overall
  • 1-10-1 ATS in the last 12 games against the Southwest Division  

Dallas Mavericks vs. Utah Jazz Pick

The Jazz can only play better than they did in Game 5. I’m expecting a much closer contest this time around, and the Mavericks will come out on top once more if they continue to play excellent defense.

Last Monday, I was expecting Luka Doncic to make the difference down the stretch, but the Mavs routed the Jazz and didn’t need their best player to decide the winner. Utah will stand a chance only on a terrific shooting night. The Jazz depend on their 3-pointers, and the Mavs’ defense has done a superb job thus far.

Pick: Take Dallas Mavericks -1.5 at -110   

The Total:

The Mavericks were playing at the slowest pace in the NBA this past regular season. They’ve managed to slow things down against the Jazz, so the teams have averaged only 91.1 possessions per 48 minutes over their previous five encounters.

Five of the last seven meetings between Dallas and Utah have gone under the total, and I would ride this betting trend. Once again, Utah’s 3-point shooting will be a key factor. If the Jazz start to knock down shots from deep, this game might go over the total.

Pick: Go under 209.5 points at -110