The 2021-22 NBA season brings plenty of interesting markets Wednesday, February 16, so we are taking a closer look at the Western Conference clash from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles to get you the best Jazz vs. Lakers betting pick and odds. 

Utah and Los Angeles continue their three-game regular-season set. Back on January 17, the Lakers upset the Jazz as 5.5-point home underdogs, grabbing a 101-95 victory. This time around, Los Angeles is a 4-point home dog on MyBookie Sportsbook, while the totals sit at 227.0 points.

The Jazz shoot for their seventh straight W   

The Utah Jazz (36-21; 26-30-1 ATS) are rolling on a six-game winning streak following a 135-101 thrashing of the Houston Rockets this past Monday. They easily covered a massive 15.5-point spread in front of the home audience, recording their fifth consecutive ATS victory. 

Utah was scoring at will against the hapless Rockets. Donovan Mitchell had 30 points, Bojan Bogdanovic added 22, while Rudy Gobert accounted for 14 points and seven rebounds in his return from a nine-game absence caused by a calf injury.

During their winning streak, the Jazz have been scoring 122.1 points per 100 possessions (1st in the league). Utah owns the highest-offensive rating in the NBA in 2021-22, tallying 116.4 points per 100 possessions. The Jazz rank third in the league in field goal percentage (47.3%) and sixth in 3-point percentage (36.1%).

The Lakers continue to struggle   

The Los Angeles Lakers (26-31; 25-32 ATS) are on a three-game losing streak following a 117-115 defeat at the Golden State Warriors this past Saturday. At least, the Lakers covered a 6.5-point spread, as they’ve won only two of their previous nine games overall.

LeBron James has been the Lakers’ top scorer in their last four outings. He dropped 26 points on the Warriors to go with 15 rebounds and eight assists. Russell Westbrook had 19 points, seven boards, and five dimes, while the Lakers’ second unit combined for 42 points.

Los Angeles owns the seventh-lowest offensive rating in the NBA, scoring 109.0 points per 100 possessions. On the other side of the ball, the Lakers allow 110.5 points per 100 possessions (15th in the NBA) on 45.6% shooting from the field (also 15th) and 34.4% from beyond the arc (14th).

Trends:

Utah:

  • 5-0 ATS in the last five games overall 

LA Lakers:

  • 4-9 ATS in the last 13 outings at home as underdogs  

Utah Jazz vs. Los Angeles Lakers Pick

The Lakers desperately need a win to get things going, as they trail the No. 6 seed by six games. Beating the red-hot Jazz will be a tall task, so I’m backing the visitors to extend their excellent run of form.

Rudy Gobert’s return is a massive boost for Utah’s defense. Gobert, who’s been one of the best defensive stoppers in the league for years, will put a lot of pressure on the Lakers. The Jazz have improved defensively a lot in the last couple of weeks, so the Lakers’ shaky offense could be in shambles.

Pick: Take Utah Jazz -4.0 at -110             

The Total:

The Jazz will look to slow down things against the Lakers, who average 100.2 possessions per 48 minutes (tied-3rd in the NBA). Utah registers 97.9 possessions per 48 minutes (17th), so I’m taking the under on the totals.

The Lakers prefer to push the ball in transition, but they’ll have to bring their best defense in order to upset the odds in this duel. The under is 3-1 in the last four meetings between the Lakers and Jazz, and it is 5-1 in Utah’s last six contests overall.

Pick: Go under 227.0 points at -110