Utah Jazz vs. Phoenix Suns | 2021 NBA Expert Analysis

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One of the biggest games the rest of the 2021 NBA regular season is on tap Wednesday night as the Utah Jazz visit the Phoenix Suns in a matchup of Western Conference contenders chasing the West’s top seed. Utah is favored on the NBA odds.

How to Bet Jazz at Suns NBA Odds & TV Info

When: Wednesday, 10 PM ET
Where: PHX Arena
TV: ESPN
Stream: ESPN app
Radio:com

Season Series

Phoenix leads 1-0, winning 106-95 on New Year’s Eve at Utah. The Suns went ahead by as many as 21 points in the fourth quarter but the Jazz closed within give with just over two minutes left. Devin Booker responded with five straight points to ice it for the Suns. Booker led with 25 points as the Suns shot 17-of-33 from three-point range. Mikal Bridges and Jae Crowder added 16 points apiece for the Suns. Donovan Mitchell led Utah with 23 points, shooting 9-of-23 from the field. The Suns have won 2 straight and now lead the all-time series 94-93.

Why Bet on Utah?

The NBA-best Jazz might have been looking ahead to this game when they were upset 111-103 in Dallas on Monday to see a nine-game winning streak end. The Mavericks were 23 for 49 from behind the arc; their highs this season from behind the arc are 25 makes and 50 attempts. The Jazz, who were leading the NBA averaging 17.1 3-pointers per game and ranked second hitting 39.8% from long range, went 12 for 44 (27.3%).

Star Donovan Mitchell hit just 6-of-23 shots and missed all eight of his 3-pointers for 16 points, five rebounds, four assists. Mitchell and Royce O’Neale combined to go 0-for-16 from beyond the arc. Over his past four games, O’Neale is shooting a mere 11.1 percent from deep while averaging just 4.0 points.

Mike Conley hit 8-of-13 shots, 6-of-6 free throws and six 3-pointers for 28 points, three rebounds, seven assists, a steal and zero turnovers for his second-best game of the season. Rudy Gobert had 14 points (6-6 FG, 2-3 FT), 15 rebounds, two assists and two blocks in 34 minutes.

The Jazz have scored 100-or-more points in 40-straight games, which marks the longest streak in franchise history for the most games in a row with 100-or-more points. Joe Ingles is second among qualified players in the NBA in three-point percentage (50.0). Ingles currently has a true shooting percentage of 73.2 (53.85FG%, 50.0 3FG% and 87.3 FT%).

Utah has the highest net rating in the NBA (9.5). The Jazz are the only team in the NBA to rank among the top 5 in both offensive rating (117.1, 2nd) and defensive rating (107.6, 3^rd).

Why Bet on Phoenix?

The Suns won their sixth in a row Monday, 133-130 in Houston. Despite the Rockets losing 26 of their last 28 games entering Monday and without several key players like John Wall and Eric Gordon, they got a 15-point deficit in the third quarter up to a three-point lead with 7:22 to go but then Phoenix took control.

Chris Paul collected 19 points, 11 assists, five rebounds, four steals and three 3-pointers. Paul became just the fifth player in NBA history to record 10 or more assists in 500 games. He joined John Stockton (863), Magic Johnson (586), Jason Kidd (569) and Steve Nash (509).

Fellow All-Star Devin Booker scored 36 points (11-of-20 FGs, 8-of-9 FTs) with six rebounds, six assists and a steal. He’s hit 32+ points in four of the past five games and is getting to the line 8.2 times per game in that span.

Deandre Ayton tied his season high with 27 points during Monday’s win, making 10-of-14 field goals and 7-of-8 free throws with 11 boards and a pair of blocks. It was a bounce-back game from Ayton, who scored just nine points vs. OKC on Friday. He had in season highs for free throws attempted (eight) and made (seven). The 14 field goals were also the most Ayton has attempted in a month.

The Suns are 27-6 over their last 33 games since Jan. 28, the NBA’s best record over this span. They rank 7th in Offensive Rating and 5th in Defensive Rating, 1 of 3 teams in the NBA that currently rank in the top 10 in both Offensive and Defensive Rating, along with Utah and Milwaukee. The Suns haven’t finished a season ranked in the top 10 in both Offensive and Defensive Rating since 1997-98. The Suns are playing at the NBA’s 6th-slowest pace, averaging 98.01 possessions per game.