NBA Betting Picks for Today: Washington Wizards at Utah Jazz

WAS-UTAH

The Utah Jazz are 10.5-point home favorites and the point total is 232.5 at online sports betting sites. Here’s a look at NBA odds and betting picks for today, Friday, February 28, 2020.

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NBA Betting Picks for Today: Wizards at Jazz

The Utah Jazz look like a lock to make the playoffs. They currently sit 6th in the Western Conference with a record of 36-22 and are 4-6 in their last 10 games. They enter Friday night fully healthy for one of the few times all season. The Jazz have been an average team to bet on, going 28-29-1 against the spread. Even though Utah is one of the toughest places to play in the NBA (Jazz are 20-9 straight up at home), the Jazz are merely 13-15-1 ATS at home. Over their past four games, Utah has been on a little bit of a tailspin losing four straight to the Spurs, Rockets, Suns and Celtics. They are on the last game of a six-game homestand where they have gone a disappointing 1-4.

While the Jazz are known to be a defensive juggernaut that plays at a slow pace, that narrative hasn’t entirely been the case this season. The Jazz currently sit at 20th in pace of play, 13th in defensive efficiency and 9th in offensive efficiency. Over the past 10 games the numbers are even worse with Utah sitting 14th in offensive efficiency, 27th in defensive efficieincy and 25th in pace. The Jazz are covering the over on the season, going 30-28 on the season and 15-14 at home.

The Wizards come into this game with an outside shot at making the playoffs. They currently sit 9th in the Eastern Conference with a record of 21-36 and are 5-5 in their last 10 games. The Wizards were at afterthought for the playoffs a month into the season, but they have managed to turn things around. When this team is relatively healthy, as they are now, there’s more upside than bettors realize. On the season, they sit 13th in offensive efficiency, 30th in defensive efficiency and 4th in pace, but if we look at the last seven games they actually sit 4th in defensive efficiency. For one, they aren’t nearly the dream DFS matchup that most people have come to expect this season. The departure of Isiah Thomas and the health of Rui Hachimura, Davis Bertans, and Thomas Bryant have been a huge boost on both on the offensive and defensive end.

NBA Betting Picks: Under 232.5, Washington +10.5 and ML +400

Look, maybe I’m a little bullish here on the Wizards and a bit too bearish on the Jazz, but I don’t care. I’m buying the Wizards right now. Sure, the Jazz have been good at home this season while the Wizards have been bad on the road, but I think things stay close Friday night. In fact, I’m going as far as saying the Wizards have a legit shot to win the outright. Out of the three bets, the Under is by far my favorite, but I really like all of them.

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NBA 2019-2020 Betting Record: 12-9-2 (+2.5 units)

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Wizards at Jazz NBA Player Props

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Image Credit: USA Today Sports Images

About the Author

gneiffer07
Grant Neiffer (gneiffer07)

One of the most vibrant and interesting personalities in all of DFS and sports betting, Grant Neiffer (aka gneiffer07) has Economics and Accounting degrees from Azusa Pacific University. He’s been playing DFS since 2013 and fantasy sports from the ripe old age of 10. In recent years, Grant has turned his attention primarily to sports betting, and in 2021, he finished 3rd in the DraftKings Sports Betting National Championship, taking home $230,000. You can find all of Grant’s sports betting analysis on ScoresAndOdds and the Action Network. Follow Grant on Twitter – @gneiffer07