Suns, Jazz Square Off for First Place in West

It’s been a special season in Phoenix (44-18 SU, 38-23-1 ATS), where the Suns can overtake Utah (45-17, 36-25-1) for the best record in the NBA with a victory on Friday. Phoenix has won the first two meetings this year after the Jazz had claimed 15 of the previous 17 matchups.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

Despite hammering the Kings by 49 points on Wednesday, the Jazz opened as 4-point road underdogs against Phoenix. The Suns haven’t been favored over Utah since 2015.

Utah News & Notes

Any frustration the Jazz were feeling following back-to-back losses to the Timberwolves was taken out on the Kings in Sacramento on Wednesday. Utah set franchise records for points in a game and margin of victory in its 154-105 rout, shooting a blistering 64 percent from the field, 24-for-41 from three-point range and 20-for-21 from the free-throw line.

The Jazz’s offensive performance was even more impressive when you consider that they were without top guards Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley, who have also been ruled out again tonight.

Joe Ingles and Royce O’Neale were Utah’s starting backcourt against Sacramento while Georges Niang scored 19 points in a rare start at power forward. Bojan Bogdanovic led Utah with 24 points, Jordan Clarkson added 23 off the bench and reserve Matt Thomas hit all seven of his field-goal attempts for 17 points in nine minutes.

With the Jazz’s offensive explosion on Wednesday, it’s easy to overlook another solid effort from the Utah defense. The Jazz have held each of their last five opponents to 105 points or less and have gone UNDER the total in six of their last eight games.

Phoenix News & Notes

After clinching their first playoff spot in 11 years on Wednesday, the Suns might normally seem vulnerable to an emotional letdown when they take the court Friday. But letdowns have been few and far between for Phoenix this season, including Wednesday’s victory over the Clippers. Just two days after concluding a tough five-game eastern road trip, the Suns blitzed LA with 39 first-quarter points and led wire to wire in their 109-101 victory.

The win not only clinched a playoff berth for Phoenix, it also moved the Suns two games ahead of Los Angeles for the second seed in the West. However, Devin Booker told Arizona Central after the game that his team still isn’t satisfied.

“I was honestly thinking about Friday already and playing against Utah for the top of the conference,” Booker, who scored 21 points against the Clippers, said of what was going through his mind when the final buzzer sounded.

Chris Paul led the Suns on Wednesday with 28 points, all but three of them coming in the first half, and Cameron Payne added 15 off the bench. The Suns have now won 11 of their last 12 at Phoenix Suns Arena and 15 of their last 19 overall.

Betting Pick: UNDER 222.5

The two earlier meetings this year saw 201 and 204 points scored in regulation, and defensive intensity should be high once again in this high-stakes matchup.