Wizards vs Jazz Picks, Predictions & Odds Tonight

It’s been a rough few weeks for the Utah Jazz with just three wins in the last 14 games and All-Star Lauri Markkanen is expected to miss tonight’s game with the lowly Washington Wizards visiting.

While the NBA Odds If the Jazz are a six-point home favorite, this is the perfect opportunity for the Wizards to take advantage of a Utah team in great shape and at least make it a competitive game behind the play of their best player.

Find out where my best bets lie in our NBA Pick and predictions for Wizards vs Jazz on Monday, March 4.

Wizards vs. Jazz odds

Wizards vs Jazz Predictions

While no one is banging on the table to Kyle Kuzma to make an All-Star team, he was one of the few consistent threats for the Wizards of Washington this season. The former first-round pick out of Utah is averaging a career-high 22.2 points per game and shooting a career-best 46.2 percent from the floor.

Kuzma may not be suited to the role of best player on most teams, but that’s exactly what he’s been in DC and it’s allowed him to fill up the scoring every night. This should continue against a Utah Jazz team which will be without Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler this evening.

This Jazz defense has been one of the worst in the NBA this season and is the main reason why Utah only ranks 11th in the West. Will Hardy’s team ranks 26th in points allowed per game (120.5) and defensive rating, while performing worst against power forwards like Kuzma.

No team in the NBA is allowing more points to forwards this season than the Jazz, allowing 27.1 points and an NBA-high 3.15 threes per game. This Utah defense has been bad overall, allowing teams to shoot 48.4% from the floor, but it has been particularly bad on three-down defense with opponents hitting 39%, the second-worst rate in the NBA.

While Kuzma isn’t the most consistent shooter from behind the arc, he is a threat from three and leads the Wizards in both attempts (6.8) and completions (2.3) while shooting 34, 2% in depth. This should allow the former Los Angeles Laker to take advantage of the Jazz’s lackluster defensive perimeter.

However, that’s not the only place Utah struggles, as it allows the NBA’s 11th-most 2-pointers per game (30.1) and Kuzma’s mid-range game can take advantage with the Wizards scoring leader shooting 53% from two. season.

With injuries taking a toll on the Jazz roster, Kuzma will have the opportunity to beat some less-than-stellar defenders. Taylor Hendricks, who has a 117.6 defensive rating, is expected to start at power forward with Brice Sensabaugh’s 124.1 defensive rating alongside him at the three.

Utah will have its hands full with Kuzma, especially considering his usage. Not only does he lead Washington in usage rate (29.8%), but he’s also 10th in the entire NBA among players who have played at least 40 games.

It was necessary for Kuzma to carry the Wizards this season and interim head coach Brian Keefe said so after his 32-point performance against the Clippers on Friday.

“I thought Kyle was really trying to put it on his back to get us back,” Keefe said of Kuzma’s effort against the Clippers. “He just felt the need to step things up for us, and he did that all year for us.”

Kuzma has had 24 games with at least 24 points this season, including a 26-point performance the last time the Wizards faced the Jazz.

My best bet: Kyle Kuzma Over 23.5 points (-115 on bet365)

Parlay Wizards vs Jazz in the same match

Kyle Kuzma Over 23.5 points

Tyus Jones Less than 10.5 points

John Collins Over 17.5 points

While Kuzma is ready to take advantage of this Jazz defense, the point guard Tyus Jones could find themselves in a precarious situation. The Wizards point guard isn’t much of a scorer and is much better positioned to get assists in this game.

Utah has the sixth-fewest points in the NBA this season (23.28) while allowing them the most assists (10.65). This suits Jones’ game perfectly. He’s scoring just 12.1 points per game and has scored fewer than 10 in four of his last five. Over this period, he has an average of 6.4 points, but 10.8 assists.

The Wizards will need Jones to groom Kuzma to help their offense keep up with the Jazz, who can still push a struggling Washington defense even without Markkanen. John Collinsready to start at center, has the best opportunity against the Wizards.

Washington is allowing the most points to centers in the NBA this season (26.95) and Collins will be tasked with playing a larger offensive role in Markkanen’s absence. The former first-round pick has had at least 18 points in three of his last four games.

Learn how to bet on the same game with these helpful tips and strategies.

Spread Wizards vs Jazz and Over/Under analysis

The Jazz opened favored by as much as 10.5 points, with the line quickly dropping to six after the announcement that Markkanen would not match.

Utah has been one of the better ATS teams this season with a 32-28-1 record, but is just 2-7 in its last nine games. Washington is one of the worst teams against the spread with a record of 28-31-1 and did not cover the spread by seven points in its previous game against the Jazz.

Between the struggles of these two defenses, the game total started as high as 245.5, but has since dropped down to between 238 and 240 with Markkanen on the injury report. The Jazz have been one of the best Over bets in the NBA this season at 33-27-1 while the Wizards are 29-30-1. The Under struck in the previous match between these two.

Wizards vs Jazz betting trend to know

The Utah Jazz have reached Game Total Over in 46 of their last 79 games (+13.00 units / 15% return on investment). Find more NBA Betting Trends for Wizards against Jazz.

Wizards vs Jazz Game Information

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