Lakers vs Jazz Odds, Picks, and Predictions Tonight: Russell Rains Down the Assists

The Los Angeles Lakers head to Salt Lake City to face the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night. The Lakers have won five of their last six games to improve their record to 29-26 while the Jazz have dropped five of their last seven to fall below .500.

NBA odds have Utah installed as a 5.5-point home favorite for this Western Conference clash with the Over/Under at 240.5. Here are my free NBA picks for the Lakers vs. Jazz on February 14. 

Lakers vs Jazz odds

Lakers vs Jazz predictions

The Los Angeles Lakers are 5-1 straight up and 4-2 against the spread in their last six games. While a couple of those victories came against bottom feeders like the Pistons and Hornets, they also had impressive road victories against the Knicks and Celtics during that span.

The Lakers may have finally turned the corner after a rollercoaster of a season, but they'll be without superstar LeBron James for this clash as he'll rest on the second night of a back-to-back. 

James might be almost 40 years old but he's still one of the best players in the NBA and averages 24.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 7.8 assists per game. He's a a high-usage player and when the Lakers play without him, that means an uptick in usage for D'Angelo Russell.

Russell has played extremely well lately, averaging 24.2 ppg and 6.2 apg over his last 15 games. He has also seen his assists total surge when LeBron sits out. In six games without James this season, Russell is averaging 10.2 apg and has dropped at least eight dimes in each contest. 

When these teams previously faced off last month in Utah the Lakers were also missing James. And although Russell dropped 39 points on a season-high 26 field goal attempts, he also racked up eight assists.

The Jazz are 25th in the NBA in defensive rating and they allow the second-most assists per game (29.2) in the league. Expect another strong passing performance from Russell and take the Over 6.5 on his assists. 

My best bet: D'Angelo Russell Over 6.5 assists (+110 at DraftKings)

Lakers vs Jazz same-game parlay

D'Angelo Russell Over 6.5 assists

Russell Over 21.5 points

Jazz -5.5

+800 at DraftKings

I'm extremely confident in Russell to cash the Over his assists prop but I also like him to score at a decent rate as well. After all, not only did he torch Utah for 39 points in the previous meeting, but the Jazz are one of the worst teams in the league at defending the arc (opponent 3-point percentage of 38.7%). 

The Jazz have one of the best home-court advantages in the league in large part due to the elevation at Salt Lake City. They are just 9-20 on the road with an average scoring margin of -10.0 points per game but they've gone 17-8 at the Delta Center with a scoring margin of +6.4 ppg.

Similarly the Lakers are 19-9 at home but have gone 10-17 on the road with an average margin of -3.7 ppg. Flying to Utah on the tail end of a back-to-back will make it tough for the Lakers to win here and the absence of James will make it harder for them to cover even if Russell goes off.

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

Lakers vs Jazz spread and Over/Under analysis

The look-ahead line for this game had the Jazz as 2.5-point favorites with the Over/Under at 238.5. After it was confirmed that James would rest, the spread shifted to -5.5 while the total ticked up to 240.5. 

The Lakers are in ninth place in the Western Conference standings with a 29-26 record and their net rating of -0.5 ranks 19th in the NBA. However, the absence of James will hurt. The Jazz are two spots behind the Lakers in the standings and they have a net rating of -2.7. 

Los Angeles curb-stomped Utah by a score of 131-99 when these teams first met up this season in November. However, the Jazz prevailed in the second meeting between these squads when they won 132-125 to cover as 2.5-point home favorites. James was also absent in that contest and the Lakers have gone 3-3 SU and 2-4 ATS without LeBron in the lineup this season. 

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Lakers vs Jazz betting trend to know

The Over is 31-12 in the Lakers last 43 games on the road (+17.80 Units / 38% ROI). Find more NBA betting trends for Lakers vs. Jazz.

Lakers vs Jazz game info

Lakers vs Jazz latest injuries

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