DWAYNE BRYANT
ADDED
NBA BEST BET: LA Lakers / Utah Jazz Under 202.5
DWAYNE BRYANT
NBA BEST BET: LA Lakers / Utah Jazz Under 202.5
Lakers / Jazz Under 202.5
These two had played to 7 straight UNDERS leading up to the start of this series. With totals of 198.5, both games at the Staples Center went Over. Now the series heads to Salt Lake City with an opening total of 203.5. That was quickly bet down to as low as 202 at some shops. These two squared off in Utah twice during the regular season and both games had a posted total in the 202.5 - 203 range. Both games went UNDER with final scores totaling 196 and 177. And it's not like they shot bad, posting 49% shooting and 45.4% shooting, respectively.
A similar situation occured in last year's playoffs. The Lakers faced the Jazz and took the first two games at home. The series shifted to Utah with the Jazz down 2-0 and a total of 213.5 was posted for Game 3. Utah, desperately in need of a win, clamped down on defense and held the Lakers to 36.8% shooting in an 88-86 victory (174 total points, 39.5 points UNDER the posted total). I don't know if Utah can hold LA to 37% shooting again (LA shot a combined 46.5% in the two meetings in Utah this season, but both games still stayed UNDER tonight's number), but I do expect an emphasis on defense tonight.
UNDER Trends: 4-0 in the Lakers' last 4 games playing on 3 or more days rest; 12-4 in the Lakers' last 16 games as a road underdog; 11-4 in the Jazz's last 15 home games vs. a team with a winning road record; 4-0 in the last 4 meetings in Utah; 7-2 in the last 9 meetings overall.
Bottom line: I'm a big believer in that (recent) history is a great indicator of future results. Teams fall into patterns in certain situations and I love when teams fall into distinct patterns when they play each other. Such is the case tonight. Grab the UNDER in this Lakers-Jazz matchup tonight.