Utah Jazz vs Los Angeles Lakers Betting Picks, Odds, & Predictions March 31st

It is with a heavy heart that I have to announce that the Lakers are, unfortunately, on another primetime NBA game tonight. Yes, the same Lakers team that is without LeBron and Anthony Davis, are 3-7 in their last 10, and 31-44 overall.

Those Lakers travel to Utah tonight, March 31st, where they take on the Jazz at 10:00PM ET at the Vivint Arena. The Jazz are favored by 13 points here, with the game total at 224.5.

It really hits home just how bad the Lakers are when they are 13 point underdogs to a Jazz team that has lost 5 straight and literally just blew a 24 point lead in their last game played. That same Jazz team who had their star player, Donovan Mitchell, lament the teams struggles in his post game interview.

It is very entertaining to watch the Lakers season to crumble to pieces, but what we don’t talk enough about is how horrendous this roster is without LeBron and AD. It is remarkable how poorly constructed this team is, and even more impressive when you think about how good the roster that won the championship in 2020 was.

The Jazz are an easy target to mock because they have been so good for so long, but have also been unable to make it out of the 2nd round of the playoffs. So, it is easy to diminish their regular season success, and laugh it off as meaningless.

But, with that said, this Jazz team is still very good. They have the best offense in the NBA according to net rating, and with Rudy Gobert on the court will always have a top defense as well.

Even though they are losers of 5 straight, I love the Jazz to blow the Lakers out and cover tonight. The 5 teams the Jazz lost to are all playoff teams, and losing to the Nets, Celtics, and Mavericks in that stretch is nothing to be ashamed of.

The Lakers are a perfect recipe for a Jazz team that is reeling. With LeBron possibly out for the season, and the Lakers close to missing the play-in game entirely, the Lakers have all but given up on the season. They mostly have their eyes set on off-season vacations.

There are also actual on the court basketball reasons why I like the Jazz tonight. The Jazz struggle when their opponent is able to play 5-out with 5 shooters on the floor and spread out the Jazz defense. This forces Rudy Gobert to have to cover the perimeter and not be able to just sit in the paint. This is exactly what the Clippers did to the Jazz.

Luckily for the Jazz, the Lakers have pretty much only one good shooter on their entire roster in Malik Monk. Everybody else is merely average, or disastrous like Russell Westbrook. So, Gobert will be able to stay near the basket where he is elite.

So, I’m riding with the Jazz to cover 13 points tonight on Caesars.

Utah Jazz vs Los Angeles Lakers Picks:

My betting pick for this NBA game is to take the Jazz to cover the 13 point spread. I bet this at -110 odds on Caesars Sportsbook.

Utah Jazz vs Los Angeles Lakers Predictions:

My prediction is that the Jazz will win 117-101.