Utah Jazz vs Minnesota Timberwolves Picks and Odds Dec 31
Utah Jazz vs Minnesota Timberwolves Predictions
WagerTalk NBA handicapper Andy Lang offers his Utah Jazz vs Minnesota Timberwolves betting preview for Friday, December 31. At the time of posting, the Jazz are holding steady as a 12.5-point home favorite over the visiting Timberwolves, with the total sitting at 221.5 points.
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| Fri, Dec 31 | NBA Betting Notes |
|---|---|
| Point Spread: | Utah Jazz -12.5 vs Minnesota Timberwolves |
| Total: | 221.5 Points |
| Game Time: | 9:10pm ET / 6:10pm PT |
| Arena: | Vivint Arena |
| TV: | AT&T Sportsnet |
Utah Jazz vs Minnesota Timberwolves Analysis
The Timberwolves travel to Utah to take on the Jazz as Donavan Mitchell makes his return as does Anthony Edwards for the Timberwolves, and the books are loving the Jazz in this one as they have Utah as a -12.5 favorite, and a total of 221.5. Minnesota is still without Russell and Towns while Utah is only missing Conley, so Utah has the edge in depth of roster tonight…but is it worth -12.5 points?
Utah played well without Donovan Mitchell as they won both games (San Antonio, Portland) without him and that makes it 13 wins in their last 15 games. Utah is 17-17 ATS this season, and 8-11 at home ATS, and they’re even worse recently at home going 0-3 ATS their last three home games, so the books have overvalued the Jazz recently. The Jazz score a ton of points as they’ve scored 103 or more in 17 straight, and they lead the league in team points per game at 115.9.
Minnesota has been dealing with patchwork lineups the last few games, so I won’t look at season long ATS or total trends for them. The last two games they’ve really struggled to score, but getting Anthony Edwards back will be a huge boost, but not having KAT is going to be a big problem with Gobert on the other side licking his chops at a potential huge game. These two teams played a week ago and Minnesota was without Edwards and KAT, and the Jazz prevailed 128-116.
I was surprised to see the total only at 221.5 as I expected a number around 230. The return of Mitchell will be a big jolt to the Jazz offense, and the return of Edwards will surely mean more points for Minnesota. The total last week from these two teams ended on 244 so I’ll ride the over again tonight.
OFFICIAL PLAY: Over 221.5 Points
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— Andy Lang (@BumpSports) December 31, 2021
Utah Jazz vs Minnesota Timberwolves Preview from GoldSheet
NBA Stat Sheet
Each day, WagerTalk handicapper Ralph Michaels puts together his NBA Stat Sheet, which offers a head-to-head comparison for how teams are performing in a number of key areas heading into a game. Check out Friday’s sheet, with notes on tonight’s Utah Jazz vs Minnesota Timberwolves contest.
NBA Tip-Off Show
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