Well, this is going to be a tough game. With the Jazz deep in their tank, they pretty much have everyone sidelined today. With only a handful of players left, the end of the season can’t come soon enough for Utah. Portland isn’t too different, with their play-in hopes dashed. They have most of their roster sidelined as well, but they still have a few faces in the game tonight. This should be an interesting matchup between two teams at the bottom of the Western Conference.
Isaiah Collier Questionable
KJ Martin Out
Elijah Harkless Out
Walker Kessler Out
John Collins Out
Lauri Markkanen Out
Cody Williams Out
Jordan Clarkson Out
Duop Reath Questionable
Deni Avdija Questionable
Anfernee Simons Questionable
Deandre Ayton Out
Scoot Henderson out
Jerami Grant Out
Robert Williams Out
This isn’t the game to watch if you’re looking for high-quality basketball. With most of the stars out tonight, this will be a game to watch if you enjoy watching the young guys play. We’ll see plenty of action from the guys on rookie contracts, which should make for a fun game even if it’s likely not too competitive.
Utah has been in tank mode for a while. With a player like Cooper Flagg at the top of this draft, it’s been worth it to improve draft odds by losing. However, that means Utah is basically down to its third-string guys who are now starting. Collin Sexton is about the only true starter remaining, but he’s been fantastic alongside Keyonte George. George has been particularly impactful lately, dropping 35 points in their last game against the Hawks, and averaging just under 17 points a game this year. He’s had an excellent breakout year as the 21-year-old looked to be a steal in only his second year in the league.
As for the rest of this Utah team, it’s a bunch of lower-level draft picks and G-League guys. They've been losing pretty much every game now, and tonight won’t likely be much different. Though with Portland entering full tank mode as well, this game could be relatively close if we see Portland sit Avdija and Simons tonight. If they do, this could be similar to the last matchup between these teams that ended in a 2-point win by Portland.
Portland should take this game easily, though, if they have Avdija. Even without him, the roster has a little more life to it than Utah. Clingan, Sharpe, Camara, Murray, and Banton will likely be the starting group, which gives Portland tons of size. The smallest player in that lineup would be Camara at 6’6. Giving them a solid height advantage across the board.
Overall, Portland would probably like to lose this game, but I don't think they'll be able to. Unless they bench almost all of their starters at halftime, they simply have more talent on the court than Utah. There is a chance Utah has a solid game and wins, but it would take some real tanking shenanigans for Portland to throw this game.
Money line: POR (-245) / UTA (+200)
Total Points: 230
Spread: -6.5 POR (-110) / +6.5 UTA (-110)
Yeah, this game won’t be too exciting. It could stay relatively close if the Jazz are hitting their threes, but Portland has the better group tonight. Unless Portland scratches a couple more players late in an attempt to tank the game, they’ll probably dominate. We have seen some big scoring nights out of the Jazz backcourt recently, so they could challenge Portland, but with the
The Jazz have allowed 140 points in three consecutive games. Prior to that, they were giving up around 120 points per game with their current lineup. Portland hasn’t been very efficient in scoring recently, but with Sharpe, Banton, and a potential Avdija on the court, they should have more than enough scoring to at least threaten a combined total of 230 points. The over looks promising tonight.
Portland has struggled against Utah a fair amount this year. However, this is the weakest roster we’ve seen play against, which does help make a 6.5-point spread look better. Considering that the Jazz haven’t covered a 6.5 point spread in all but two of their last ten games, this line looks like a steal.
This is the type of game where Clingan can excel on the boards. He will be facing another rookie center, Filipowski, with Walker Kessler sidelined. Additionally, Reath, Williams, and Ayton are out tonight, so he will be the only center available for Portland. The team will likely go small with Jabari Walker tonight as well, but expect Clingan to play around 28 minutes, which is more than enough time for him to grab 12 or more rebounds.
Sharpe has been solid on the boards lately. He’s been averaging 7.3 in April and 6.1 in March. Considering the Jazz have most of their team benched, it’s likely we’ll see some fairly poor shooting out of them which will give Sharpe plenty of opportunities to grab some boards.
I truly do not know who else will be scoring for Utah tonight other than Sexton. He’s one of their few healthy players. It will likely be George and Sexton who carry most of the scoring duties. With back-to-back games scoring 27 points, the 20.5 point line is looking great tonight!
Filiposki is pretty much the Jazz's last remaining big man. Considering he’ll probably be on the court 32+ minutes tonight, there is a strong chance he’s just out there long enough to collect double-digit rebounds. Looking at the last game the Jazz played against Portland, Filiposki played 36 minutes and snagged 11 boards.