Oklahoma City Thunder at Utah Jazz NBA Picks & Predictions 12/22/2018

Saturday, December 22, 2018

Vivint Smart Home Arena

Get todays NBA odds and lines on this game.

The Oklahoma City Thunder travel to Vivint Smart Home Arena to play the Utah Jazz on Saturday, December 22, 2018. The opening line for this matchup has Utah as 2 point favorites.

The Thunder head into this matchup with a mark of 20-10. They are 2nd in the Northwest Division. They have a point differential of 6.9 as they average 112.1 points per contest while giving up 105.3 per game. The Jazz have an overall record of 15-17 this season. They are 4th in the Northwest Division. They average 106.5 points per game and surrender 106.4, good for a point differential of 0.1.

Valuable Oklahoma City Thunder Betting Trends

The Oklahoma City Thunder are 17-13-0 against the spread

The Oklahoma City Thunder are 14-16-0 against the over/under

Important Utah Jazz Betting Trends

The Utah Jazz are 15-16-1 against the spread

The Utah Jazz are 17-15-0 against the over/under

Key Oklahoma City Thunder Injuries

12/19/18 PG Dennis Schroder Suspension Served is probable Saturday vs Utah
12/19/18 PG Raymond Felton Suspension Served is probable Saturday vs Utah
10/04/18 G Andre Roberson Knee is out indefinitely

Key Utah Jazz Injuries

No key injuries to report

Player Spotlight

Paul George averages 25.5 points per game in 35.0 minutes per contest. He averages 4.4 assists per contest and 7.9 rebounds per game. His field goal percentage is 45% for the year while his free throw percentage is 83%. Dennis Schroder comes into this contest averaging 16.6 points per game while playing 29.3 minutes per night. He pulls down 4.0 rebounds per game and dishes out 4.7 assists per game as well. His field goal percentage is 42% while his free throw percentage is at 86%.

Player Spotlight

Donovan Mitchell averages 20.9 points per game and he sees the court an average of 32.4 minutes per contest. He also averages 3.2 rebounds per contest and 3.3 assists per game. His field goal percentage is 41% and his free throw percentage is 81%. Ricky Rubio averages 12.5 points per game while playing 29.8 minutes per contest. He grabs 3.6 rebounds per game and has 6.1 assists per contest on the year. His field goal percentage is 39% and his free throw percentage is at 85%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Thunder allow 105.3 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 5th in the league. They also allow a 45% shooting percentage and a 33% average from behind the arc, ranking them 10th and 5th in those defensive categories. Opponents average 44.2 rebounds a game which ranks 12th, and they give up 23.7 assists per contest which puts them in 13th place in the league. They force 17.5 turnovers per game which ranks them 30th in the league. Oklahoma City averages 112.1 points per contest this season, which ranks them 11th in the NBA. Their average scoring margin is 6.9 and their shooting percentage is 46% as a team, which has them ranked 17th. Behind the arc they shoot 33% which is good for 30th in the league. They average 48.7 rebounds per game and 22.9 assists per contest, which ranks them 2nd and 21st in those offensive categories. In the turnover department they rank 10th with 14.7 per game.

Useful Team Statistics

The Jazz surrender 106.4 points per contest, which ranks them 6th in the NBA. Their defense allows a 47% shooting percentage and a 36% average from 3-point range, ranking them 20th and 19th in those defensive statistics. They rank 1st with 21.3 assists allowed per contest, and 2nd with 42.3 rebounds surrendered per game. The Jazz are 24th in the NBA in forcing turnovers with 15.1 per game. Utah is 24th in the league with 106.5 points per game this year. They are 14th in the league in shooting at 46%, while their average scoring margin is 0.1. They shoot 34% from 3-point range, which is good for 25th in the NBA. They are 23rd in the league in rebounding with 43.7 boards per game and 14th in assists per contest with 24.4. The Jazz are 3rd in turnovers per game with 15.5.

Advanced Statistics

The Thunder are 19th in the NBA in offensive rating with 109.6, and their defensive rating of 102.9 is ranked 1st. In terms of pace they are 6th in the league with 102.3 possessions per 48 minutes, and their effective field goal percentage of 51% is 24th. As a team they are 24th in the NBA in true shooting percentage with 54% and they shoot 3-pointers on 33% of their shots, ranking 20th in the league. Oklahoma City is 16th in turnovers, as they turn the ball over an average of 12.4 times per 100 possessions while forcing 15.3 on the defensive end. Their defensive effective field goal percentage for the season currently is 51%, which is 25th in the league.

Advanced Statistics

Utah is 3rd in the NBA in turnovers, as they turn the ball over an average of 14 times per 100 possessions while forcing 13.6 on the defensive end. Their defensive effective field goal percentage for the season currently is 52%, which is 15th in the league. The Jazz are 25th in the NBA in offensive rating with 107, and their defensive rating of 106.9 is ranked 8th. In terms of pace they are 16th in the league with 99.5 possessions per 48 minutes, and their effective field goal percentage of 52% is 17th. As a team they are 16th in the NBA in true shooting percentage with 56% and they shoot 3-pointers on 38% of their shots, ranking 7th in the league.

Who will win tonight's Thunder/Jazz NBA game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take Utah -2

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