It’s a busy 10-game betting slate in the NBA on Friday night, including a matchup between two slumping teams in the Utah Jazz and Toronto Raptors.
The Jazz, who have dropped four of their past six games, are coming off a nine-point loss to the Washington Wizards on Thursday and will face a Toronto team that’s dealing with its own struggles but is finally returning to full strength.
Find out which team will get back on track in our best free NBA picks and predictions for Jazz vs. Raptors at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Utah Jazz at Toronto Raptors betting preview
Injuries
Jazz: None.
Raptors: O.G. Anunoby F (Probable).
Find our latest NBA injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Over is 5-1-1 in Utah’s last seven road games. Find more NBA betting trends for Jazz vs. Raptors.
NBA sharp money and line movement report
By Patrick EversonThe line opened at Utah -5.5, with the total at 229.5. Early action favored the Raptors and the Over, moving the total to 230.5. Check back later for a full report from Patrick!
Check out the full line movement for this gameAgainst the spread (ATS) pick
The Jazz have definitely hit a wall. They went on a remarkable run to start the season and were looking like one of the best ATS teams of all time, not only beating opponents but destroying them in the process. But since a nine-game winning streak in February got snapped, they’ve gone 5-6 and are no longer the best covering team in the NBA (that title belongs to the Phoenix Suns).
Utah’s Top-5 ranked defense has been the biggest culprit behind the hiccup and dropped to 21st during that stretch, as the Jazz have allowed 131 points to each of the Wizards, Golden State Warriors, and Philadelphia 76ers in three of their last five games. The team that went on a 19-2 ATS run at one point in the season is 2-6 ATS in its last eight games.
The good news for the Jazz is that they’re still first in the West and remain the only team in the NBA that ranks Top 5 in both offensive and defensive rating.
Utah gets a Raptors team that should be fully healthy for the first time in a while after COVID-19 protocols forced three of five starters out of action. Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam returned last game, while O.G. Anunoby is probable for Friday. That’s the good news for the Raptors. The bad news is that they’ve lost a season-high six games in a row and VanVleet and Siakam shot miserably in their first game back, going a combined 5-for-24 from the field in a brutal loss to the Detroit Pistons.
While the Jazz are on the second half of a back-to-back, they’ll surely be motivated after Thursday’s loss to Washington and will welcome back All-Star guard Mike Conley, who got a one-game breather to rest. We’re jumping on Utah to handle a manageable spread.
PREDICTION: Utah -5 (-110)
Over/Under pick
The Jazz have still been strong offensively during their recent skid, ranking ninth in the NBA in offensive rating over the 11-game blip. They haven’t been held under 114 points once in their last 10 games and they lead the West at 116.8 points per game.
Though Utah is 2-6 ATS over its last eight, it has also gone 6-2 O/U and just combined for 253 points with the Wizards. Now the Jazz will get Conley back, which gives them another scoring threat and playmaker to carve up a Raptors defense that’s 26th in defensive rating over its last 10 games.
While VanVleet and Siakam had rough returns, their inclusion in the lineup certainly helps a Raptors team that, out of necessity, was handing out too many minutes to its reserve players. Anunoby can only help even further. The trio combines for nearly 55 points per game and will get a Utah defense that has proven vulnerable lately. Toronto is 23-17 O/U this season (cashing Overs at the eighth-highest rate in the NBA), including 6-2 in its last eight games.
Add that all up, including Utah on a back-to-back, and we wouldn’t bank on this game being a defensive masterpiece.
PREDICTION: Over 230.5 (-110)
Player prop pick
After the Jazz needed 42 points from Donovan Mitchell and 34 out of Joe Ingles to hang with the Wizards, this seems like a perfect game for a rested Conley to help shoulder the offensive load.
Conley's O/U point prop is set at 16.5, a number he’s eclipsed in four consecutive games. He's been particularly hot from deep, where he's nailed three 3-pointers in all four of those contests and is shooting 48.3 percent from distance for the month of March.
Conley’s shooting the 3-ball more efficiently and at a greater volume than ever and faces a Raptors team that’s one of the worst in the league at neutralizing the long ball. The Jazz love to unload from outside and do it as well as nearly any team in the NBA, so this presents Conley with a good opportunity to use the 3-ball to pile up points and hit the Over.
PREDICTION: Conley Over 16. 5 points (-102)
Jazz vs Raptors betting card
- Utah -5 (-110)
- Over 230.5 (-110)
- Conley Over 16. 5 points (-102)
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