Jazz Favored over Clippers in West Semifinal Opener in Utah

After rallying to beat the Mavericks in Round 1, Los Angeles (51-28 SU, 43-35-1 ATS) hopes to ride that momentum when it begins a new series with the Jazz (56-21, 45-31-1). Utah won two of three regular-season meetings to move to 9-3 ATS in its last 12 against the Clippers.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

The opener of Utah -3 looked short to early bettors, with action on the Jazz moving Utah to a 4-point favorite at some books by Monday night. The UNDER has also seen early support, dropping a point to 220 at the time of writing.

Los Angeles News & Notes

The Clippers don’t get much time to recover physically or emotionally from their grueling seven-game series win over the Mavericks. By the time tonight’s game tips off, roughly 50 hours will have passed since Los Angeles put the finishing touches on a 126-111 win Sunday that completed the Clips’ rally from a 2-0 series deficit.

Of course, the Clippers might not mind getting right back onto the court after Sunday’s impressive performance. LA hit 20 three-pointers (the most ever in a Game 7), went a perfect 24-for-24 from the free-throw line and saw seven players score in double figures. Kawhi Leonard scored 28 points in the deciding game to finish the series averaging 32.1 points per game on 61 percent shooting, while Paul George averaged a team-high nine rebounds in the series.

After tying for the league’s fourth-best road record during the regular season, LA has continued that form in the playoffs. The Clippers went 3-0 SU and ATS in Dallas in the first round, including a convincing win in Game 6 to stave off elimination. LA hasn’t had much success in Utah lately, however, going 8-20-1 ATS in its last 29 visits to Salt Lake City.

Utah News & Notes

Unlike the Clippers, Utah comes into the series having had plenty of time to rest and prepare. But is it too much time? The Jazz haven’t played since Wednesday’s 126-110 rout of the Grizzlies that clinched a five-game series win in Round 1. Utah is 2-5 SU and 1-6 ATS in its last seven games following three or more days off, including a 112-109 loss to Memphis in its Sportsbook game of the playoffs.

All that time off may still not be enough for Mike Conley to return to the lineup after leaving Wednesday’s contest with a hamstring injury. Conley, who missed nine games late in the regular season with a similar injury, was listed as a game-time decision at the time of writing.

Fortunately for the Jazz, they’ve got more than enough depth to overcome Conley’s potential absence. Donovan Mitchell averaged 28.5 points per game against Memphis after missing the Sportsbook game with an ankle injury, while Rudy Gobert posted double-doubles in four of the five games and averaged 17.4 points. All of that offense helped Utah score 120 or more points in four of the five games and saw the Jazz go OVER the total in every game of the series.

Betting Pick: Clippers +4

Utah could be rusty early after five days off, while the pressure’s off the underdog Clippers following their Round 1 comeback.