NBA Basketball Odds: Portland Trail Blazers vs Utah Jazz
Monday, January 30, 2012
Frank Martin
The numbers won't be on Portland's side when the Trail Blazers visit Utah in a battle of Northwest Division foes. Portland Trail Blazers is 3-7 on the road, where it has already lost to Phoenix, Detroit and Golden State.
The Trail Blazers know they have to clean up their act away from home. "There’s no way around it, no tip-toeing around it," guard Jamal Crawford said. "To be a really good team, you have to win on the road. To take that next step, we’ve got to bottle this up." That won't be easy to do against Utah, which is 9-3 at home. The Trail Blazers will certainly have it much tougher than they did in Friday's 109-71 home win over the Suns.
The Utah Jazz, meanwhile, nearly blew a 13-point lead Saturday against Sacramento, but hung on at home 96-93 to snap a two-game losing streak. "It was good we got the win, but we need to be able to close them out," said guard/forward Gordon Hayward, who scored a season-high 21 points.
- Portland Trail Blazers @ Utah Jazz
When: 9:00 PM ET, Monday, January 30, 2012
Where: EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah
TV: 9 p.m. ET, CS Northwest (Portland), ROOT Sports (Utah)
The Jazz have opened as 1.5-point favorites on SBG Global Sportsbook’s Live NBA Basketball Odds.
Portland Trail Blazers (12-8): How dominant was Portland in its most recent win? The Trail Blazers recorded season highs in rebounds (58), assists (28) and second-half points (62). Marcus Camby was the only Portland player who didn't score, but he grabbed 20 rebounds. The veteran center is averaging three points, but his value goes far beyond scoring. Camby is averaging 10 rebounds a game and has 58 in Portland's last three contests. He grabbed 22 rebounds against Memphis on Jan. 24 and had 16 at Golden State the following night.
Utah Jazz (11-7): Point guard Devin Harris' rocky season has made him the target of boos from Utah fans. He is averaging 9.2 points and is shooting 41.9 percent from the field. Harris has scored in double figures just only times in his last 11 games. Although he scored a season-high 24 points against Toronto, Harris has had games of one, two and three points in the last three weeks. He averaged 15.8 points after being acquired from New Jersey for Deron Williams last season. Jazz fans were expecting similar production this season, but that has yet to happen.
1. Jazz guard Raja Bell left in the second quarter Saturday with a strained right adductor and did not return.
2. Portland plays four of its next five games at home following its trip to Utah. The Trail Blazers are 9-1 in the Rose Garden.
3. The Trail Blazers defeated the Jazz three times in four meetings last season. Utah won the first game before Portland won the final three.
NBA BASKETBALL PREDICTION: Jazz 97, Trail Blazers 92
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deron williams - devin harris - energysolutions arena - gordon hayward - jamal crawford - marcus camby - portland trail blazers - raja bell - utah jazz
