Trail Blazers vs Jazz Picks & Odds: Utah Favored Over Short-Handed Portland

The Utah Jazz (13-11, 14-10 ATS) and Portland Trail Blazers (11-11, 13-9) collide at Vivint Arena on Saturday with both teams looking to build some momentum. Utah is 2-5 in its last seven games while Portland is 1-7 in its last eight contests. Find out which team has the edge in our Trail Blazers vs Jazz prediction.

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Trail Blazers vs Jazz Sportsbook Odds

Sportsbook Odds

The Jazz opened as the 5-point favorite at home with the total set at 225.5 points. The UNDER is 6-3 in the last nine meetings between the two teams while Utah has won five straight games against Portland, giving the hosts the edge in our Trail Blazers vs Jazz prediction.

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Trail Blazers Continue To Struggle Without Lillard

The Trail Blazers took their third straight loss on Wednesday as they fell 128-109 to the Los Angeles Lakers. LeBron James (31 points) and Anthony Davis (27 points, 12 rebounds) led the way for Los Angeles while Jerami Grant topped Portland with 27 points in a losing effort.

After an electric start to the season where the Trail Blazers went 9-3 through their first 12 games, they’ve fallen off drastically since mid-November, losing eight of their last 10 contests. Portland has been without star point guard Damian Lillard for six straight games as their leading scorer remains out with a calf strain. Josh Hart (ankle) is also doubtful for Saturday’s matchup, leaving the Trail Blazers pretty short-handed.

Markkanen Dominant Again In Win Over Pacers

The Jazz picked up their second consecutive victory on Friday with a 139-119 rout of the Indiana Pacers. Lauri Markkanen (24 points, 13 rebounds) and Walker Kessler (20 points, 11 rebounds) each had double-doubles while four others finished in double digits for Utah. Meanwhile Myles Turner topped Indiana with just 18 points.

Markkanen has been a revelation for the Jazz, averaging 22.2 points per game as the team’s leading scorer in his first season with the team – nearly an eight-point boost over last year’s pace with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The power forward has led Utah to a top-five offense and top-10 defense in the NBA – some promising trends that suggest the team may be on the brink of turning things around.

Trail Blazers vs Jazz Picks & Insights

Trail Blazers: Keys To Victory

With both Lillard and Hart likely out of the lineup, the Trail Blazers will need to step up by committee to get back into the win column. Grant and Anfernee Simons have been solid for Portland this season, combining for about 46 points per game. If they both pop off, Portland will probably be able to at least make it interesting.

Jazz: Keys To Victory

The Jazz hit a wall in mid-November, losing eight of 10 contests prior to their current two-game run, though they’ve looked dominant in both of those wins, outscoring their opposition by 33 points combined. Based on their strong numbers at both ends of the court, it seems like just a matter of time before the Jazz start racking up the wins and there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be able to top the undermanned Trail Blazers.

NBA Computer Picks: OVER 226.5 Points

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