The Utah Jazz play their last home game of the regular season against the visiting Phoenix Suns, who are eyeing to break a new franchise record. With that said, it’s time to check out our preview of this Suns-Jazz Saturday matchup.
Catch this game live on Saturday, April 9, at 9:30 AM, Manila time.
Away: Phoenix Suns (63-17/31-9 on the road)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Chris Paul
- SG: Devin Booker
- SF: Mikal Bridges
- PF: Jae Crowder
- C: Deandre Ayton
The Suns have locked up the top seed in the Western Conference and set the franchise’s record for the best single-season record. But there is still something left to play for Phoenix in the regular season, and that would enough motivation for the Suns to get their big hitters back on the floor after resting them in last Thursday’s 113-109 road loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.
A Suns win in Salt Lake City this Saturday would break Phoenix’s single-season record for most road wins. With that, expect Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton, and Chris Paul to see action against the Jazz, who have already lost to Phoenix twice in three meetings this season. Booker averaged 35.3 points on 48.3FG% in those three contests. The Suns’ outside shooting has clicked so far against Utah, as they have knocked down 11.0 threes average on 40.2 3FG% against the Jazz this season. The Suns have also covered the spread in six of their last eight meetings with Utah.
Home: Utah Jazz (48-32/29-11 at home)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Mike Conley Jr.
- SG: Donovan Mitchell
- SF: Bojan Bogdanovic
- PF: Royce O’Neale
- C: Rudy Gobert
The Jazz are getting their rhythm back after a bad stretch that saw them suffer six losses in seven games. Since then, they have gone 2-0 straight up, with wins over the Memphis Grizzlies and the Oklahoma City Thunder. In their 137-101 win over Oklahoma City, the Jazz leaned mostly on Rudy Gobert (20 points, 10 rebounds), Bojan Bogdanovic (27 points), and their massive bench (68 points) to get the victory even without Mike Conley Jr. and Donovan Mitchell.
Both Conley and Mitchell sat that game out for maintenance reasons but should be back to active duty this Saturday against a rather more formidable opponent. Although they are losing the regular-season series against Phoenix, the Jazz won the most recent game against the Suns. Utah took down the Suns on the road late last February, 118-114, with Mitchell scoring 26 points and Jordan Clarkson coming off the bench to fire 22 points. The Jazz are 9-3-2 ATS in their last 14 games as a home favorite.
PREDICTIONS:
Spread: The Suns are going to come out hot in this game to make a big statement against an opponent they might see down the road in the playoffs. Plus, the Jazz aren’t exactly very good in covering at home (17-20 ATS), while the Suns are 24-16 ATS on the road. Taking the Suns (+3) to cover.
Over/Under: This game will have a playoff feel to it. Taking the Under (226.0).
