NBA 9.1

[Hosila]

Thunder vs Jazz

The Thunder played an awful road game against the Kings on Wednesday. They finished just at 32% shooting which was the worst effort with Durant and Westbrook together in the lineup. With their record of 17-19 there is not much room for the OKC to fool around and loose games against weaker opponents. Bouncing Back, however, has become a staple for the Thunder during the past few seasons as they have proven many times to be incredibly resilient in those games played after a loss. We expect this trend to continue.

The Jazz won their previous game against the Bulls @ Chicago which was a big surprise and an encouraging sign for them. If they can get a superstar next to Hayward, Favors, and Gobert they could have a great team some day. Until then it’s hard to see the Jazz achieving anything more than mediocrity. Utah (13-23) has split two matchups with OKC this season. They won the first at home one and lost the second 82-97 @ Oklachoma. In both of those games Durant and Westbrook didn’t play.

After dropping their last two road games we expect the Thunder to return home to prove they can shoot the basketball. This game is circled as a must win in their calendar. When Durant, Westbrook and Ibaka all showing up and contributing at both ends, they just are too much for the Jazz to handle. Take the Thunder to cover -11.5 points @1.970 with 2/5 units from Pinnacle.

GL