Utah Jazz vs Oklahoma City Thunder Prediction, 3/5/2023 Preview and Pick

Game: Utah Jazz vs Oklahoma City Thunder

Date: Sunday, March 5, 2023

Location: Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, OK

TV: Bally Sports Oklahoma

Paycom Center is where the Oklahoma City Thunder will take on the Utah Jazz on Sunday.

The Jazz faced the Thunder and took a loss by a final of 130-103 in their last contest. Utah finished the contest with a 48.7% FG percentage (38 out of 78) and knocked down 9 out of their 29 shots from downtown. At the free throw line, the Jazz made 18 of 23 attempts for a percentage of 78.3%. When discussing hauling in rebounds, they compiled 48 with 10 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 24 assists for this game while forcing the other team into 7 turnovers and getting 5 steals. When discussing the defense, Utah allowed the other team to go 50.0% from the floor on 52 of 104 shooting. Oklahoma City distributed 31 assists and had 12 steals in this matchup. Additionally, Oklahoma City snagged 40 boards (11 offensive, 29 defensive) and earned 14 blocks. Oklahoma City went 64.3% from the free throw line by knocking down 9 of their 14 shots. They made 17 out of their 43 shots from long range. When discussing personal fouls, the Jazz walked away with 18 while the Thunder finished the game with 22 personal fouls.

Lauri Markkanen is one guy who had an impact for the matchup. He accumulated 20 points on 6 out of 14 shooting. He was on the court for 30 minutes and totaled 10 rebounds. Markkanen went 42.9% from the floor and also totaled 2 assists.

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Utah enters this matchup with a win-loss mark of 31-33 so far this season. They are turning it over 15.6 times per game and as a group they commit 20.5 personal fouls per contest. As a team, Utah is pulling down 45.2 rebounds per contest and has tallied 1,638 assists so far this season, which has them ranked 9th in basketball in terms of passing the ball. The Jazz are shooting 35.9% on shots from beyond the arc (887 of 2,472) and 78.7% from the free throw line. They average 117.0 pts per game (7th in basketball) on 47.2% from the floor.

On the defensive end, the Jazz are forcing 13.0 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 21.2 personal fouls. They give up 35.8% on three-point shots and they rank 22nd in the league in points per game from their opponents (117.0). The Jazz defense is allowing an opponent FG percentage of 47.6% (2,778 of 5,838) and they surrender 43.6 boards per game as a basketball team. They are 8th in basketball in giving up assists with 1,546 conceded so far this year.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Thunder got the victory with a final of 130-103 against the Jazz. The Thunder corralled 29 defensive boards and 11 offensive rebounds for a total of 40 in this game. They gave up possession 7 times, while getting 12 steals for this game. The Jazz had 18 fouls in the matchup which got the Thunder to the free throw line for a total of 14 attempts. They were able to make 9 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 64.3%. Pertaining to shooting from 3-point land, Oklahoma City converted 17 out of their 43 attempts (39.5%). Overall, the Thunder went 52 out of 104 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 50.0%. The Thunder permitted the Jazz to convert 38 of 78 tries from the field which had them shooting 48.7% for the matchup. They finished shooting 31.0% from three-point range by shooting 9 out of 29 and finished the game at 18 out of 23 from the free throw line (78.3%). When discussing attacking the glass, Oklahoma City allowed Utah to pull down 48 overall (10 on the offensive glass).

Aaron Wiggins ended up being a major contributor for the Thunder in this matchup. Wiggins totaled 27 points in his 27 mins on the court, but wasn't able to notch an assist. He made 12 out of 16 for the matchup for a field goal percentage of 75.0%, and added 4 rebounds.

Oklahoma City has a win-loss record of 29-34 for the season. In terms of offensive execution, the Thunder are shooting 46.9% from the field, which ranks 19th in basketball. Oklahoma City has scored 7,433 points on the campaign (118.0 per game) and they pull in 43.7 boards per contest. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 24.9 times per game (17th in the NBA) and they turn it over 13.3 times per game. The Thunder are responsible for committing 21.5 fouls every game and they connect on 79.8% from the free throw line.

The Thunder on the defensive end are ranked 20th in basketball in points per game surrendered with 116.6. They have forced 17.0 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 47.1% from the field (13th in the league). The Oklahoma City defense allows 35.9% on 3-point shots (808 of 2,253) and their opposition makes 78.0% of their free throw shots. They have relinquished 25.5 assists and 46.8 total boards per game, which ranks them 17th and 30th in the league.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Oklahoma City

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