This play is simple. It doesn't even need all this discussion. Anytime a team is returning from a five or more game road trip, against a formidable opponent, you take the underdog. It is the right play. Jazz ML, Jazz +4.5, Jazz over first half. Jazz will not collapse like last time in the 4th quarter. They win this easily. God's speed.
Big difference, though. The Blazers fell victim to a terrible scheduling spot, a spot that trips up nearly every NBA team (return home from a road trip, one day of rest, home game, road game the next day). Plus, Portland had boarded a plane following 17 of their previous 18 games prior to last night. Brutal!
No such obstacles tonight for the rested Jazz who spent the week scrimmaging in Salt Lake City against the Knicks and Warriors. And if you think that scheduling spot thing is fluff, let me know when you find an NBA team that's survived it this season.
I think it's too early to look at this but there is always the angle of who the Lakers might like to match-up with in the playoffs. The West is probably too bunched up to matter right now but the second round foe of LA could be any one of the following 4th or 5th seeded squads.......Utah, Dallas, Phoenix or Denver......would it be beneficial for them to "soft-play" either of these teams to hypothetically help themselves out down the road? I'm not sure I even believe this would happen tonight, but it's something to consider as the season winds down and a loss or win by one of those teams could have a major effect on who plays who.
It seems Utah should have a lot more to play for tonight with the 2 seed very much up for grabs.....huge difference between the 2 seed and the 3,4 or 5 seed. And with everything being bunched so tightly every game is so important.
For those saying the Lakers can "turn it on" when the games get important I'd like to ask them how that turned out for the Kansas Jayhawks in the NCAA Tournament this year.
I'm not going to play this game. I wish everyone the best of luck on their plays. Too many reasons not to like either team for me.
GL 
MrBator I had my eye on this game last night.. It's kind of strange but this match up between LA and Utah very much so reminds me of last nights game between Denver and Portland.. Both Denver and LA have been playing pretty shitty lately.Both have one of their big men down (Martin,Bynum) Both going back home to play two hots teams (Blazers,Jazz) and ironically enough the lines are pretty much the same also, around 4.5 to 5 points..
LA really does not have any thing to prove here other than getting back in the winning column.. Utah how ever needs to prove to them selves that they can compete with these guys and get a BIG W in LA.. Utah certainly has the talent to win this game SU but will they ? I have seen DWILL have way to many 3-14, 4-12, 5-13 nights on the road lately.. I dont know what it is with this guy,hes a damn beast but a different player on the road..
IF Utah is ever going to win in LA, tonight is the night.. I wish Kirilenko was playing, like his defense vs Kobe.. The only thing temporarily holding me back from making a play on the Jazz is this reoccuring vision im having of a huge LA run some time during this game.. Still working on this game but leaning JAZZ..
The scheduling spot thing I was talking about does not specifically involve Denver's home games. It's a situation that can occur anywhere in the league.
Beware of Mike "The NBA Totals Fixer" Callahan.
https://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playbyplay?gameId=290102005&period=4
He participated in this fixed over from last season. Sixty-two free throws were attempted in the first three quarters. At the end of the third quarter, the game only needed 36 more points to go over. Coincidentally, the rampant whistles suddenly died down, and only 11 more free throws were attempted in the fourth quarter, and only two after the game officially went over. Eric Lewis, another crooked ref on my watch list, was also part of the crew that night.
Beware of Mike "The NBA Totals Fixer" Callahan: MrBator
Do you lean over?
Just curious, might play the game a 3rd way 
No, I don't lean to the over. I believe some NBA games are fixed for the over, but very few of them. I still remember seeing the line move dramatically upward last January 2nd (of '09) at Pinnacle just a few minutes before tip-off. I remember feeling helpless that my under 196.5 was going to get fucked somehow. Then the game began. And so did the whistles. BAM!
Established in 1995,
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