Utah vs. LA Lakers | NBA Preview and Betting Odds

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It’s a potential Western Conference playoff preview in the NBA on Wednesday night as the Los Angeles Lakers host the Utah Jazz. The NBA odds favor the surging Jazz in a national TV matchup.

How to Bet Utah at LA Lakers NBA Odds & TV Info

When: Wednesday, 10 PM ET
Where: Crypto.com Arena
TV: ESPN
Stream: ESPN app
Radio: Tunein.com
NBA Odds: Lakers -2 (total 227)

Season Series

This is the second of three regular-season meetings. On Jan. 17, the Lakers beat the visiting Jazz 101-95. LeBron James scored 25 points and Stanley Johnson had 10 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter. Johnson made 7 of 9 shots and also had seven rebounds. The Lakers got 44 points from their bench. Anthony Davis was out injured. Mike Conley had 20 points and Rudy Gobert had a double-double with 19 points and 16 rebounds for the Jazz.

The Jazz and Lakers have met 190 times in the regular season (112-78) and 172 times since the Jazz moved to Utah (99-73). The Lakers are 28-13 all-time against the Jazz at Crypto.com Arena during the regular season.

Why Bet on Utah?

The Jazz are now healthy for the most part and it has showed in a six-game winning streak. They come off a 135-101 home rout of Houston on Monday. All-Star center Rudy Gobert had 14 points in his return. With Gobert’s return, the Jazz had their regular starting lineup for the first time in 13 games. That group has a record of 23-8 this season.

“I was antsy. … I couldn’t wait to get back on the court and be a part of what our team is doing now,” said Gobert, who missed nine games with a left calf strain. Though Gobert was ejected with his second technical foul with 6:33 to play, the Jazz were a plus-19 in the 22 minutes he was on the court.

Donovan Mitchell hit 9-of-15 shots for 30 points, six rebounds and seven assists. This game was over by halftime or Mitchell might have really had a special night. Mitchell missed eight games with a concussion but has been hot since returning. Mike Conley had just two points but 10 assists and four steals. It was his first double-digit assist effort since Jan. 26.

“It’s emblematic of what our team has been doing,” head coach Quin Snyder said postgame. “Mike doesn’t have a good shooting night but has 10 assists. … I think Donovan with his balance, everybody is playing the right way and connected.”

In February, Mitchell is averaging 25.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists on 51.5% shooting from the floor, 45.7% from beyond the arc, and 86% from the free throw line. He is also averaging a +15 rating in 31.6 minutes per game.

The Jazz went a perfect 6-0 on their homestand, which gave them a three-game lead on Dallas for the fourth playoff seed in the Western Conference. Three of the games were by margins of 23 or more. The 135 points scored by the Jazz on Monday night was the most amount of points they’ve scored in a little over two months.

Why Bet on LA Lakers?

The Lakers just can’t seem to get rolling, losing a third straight game Saturday, 117-115 at Golden State – weird to then have three days off before this game and then almost nine days off for the All-Star break.

In the game, LeBron James passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for most points scored in the NBA combining the regular season and postseason with 44,157. James tied Abdul-Jabbar’s mark of 44,149 in the first half, then surpassed it with a 3-pointer early in the third quarter. James had 26 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists, but missed the first free throw after Steph Curry fouled him attempting a 3-pointer with 2.4 seconds left. He made the second and missed the third intentionally but couldn’t chase down the rebound in time to get a shot off.

LeBron has now scored at least 25 points in a career-best 22 consecutive games. The last time he had such a streak was from 1/25/08-3/8/08 when he scored 25+ points in 21 consecutive games. His current streak is just behind Joel Embiid for the second longest streak in the NBA this season.

Russell Westbrook (lower back soreness) returned from a one-game absence and had for 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Talen Horton-Tucker came off the bench for 17 points. Anthony Davis had 16 points.

Coach Frank Vogel said it’s “not out of the question” that Carmelo Anthony (right hamstring) could return for Wednesday’s game. Anthony has missed the past four, which has resulted in more minutes for Horton-Tucker and Wayne Ellington. Through 27 regular season home games at Crypto.com Arena, Anthony is shooting 45.2 percent from three-point range on the Lakers home court. His shooting percentage at home would rank second in the league among three-point shooters. Including road contests, he is currently shooting at a 39.2 percent clip on the year.