Golden State Warriors vs. Utah Jazz: AI NBA Prediction

Golden State Warriors vs. Utah Jazz: AI NBA Prediction for 1/17/2024

The Jazz welcome the Golden State Warriors to Utah this Wednesday night, and points are expected to be in abundance. Utah is looking to continue their offensive explosion backed by Lauri Markkanen, and with Steph Curry at the helm of Golden State, points are never far away. 

Utah Jazz Betting Preview

The Jazz have been on an absolute tear lately, winning six straight against amazing opponents. Across that stretch they have overcome the Pacers, Lakers, Raptors, Nuggets, Bucks, and 76ers. 

The Jazz are led by former number 7 overall pick Lauri Markkanen. The Cleveland Cavalier and Chicago Bull has come into his own on the Jazz after being dealt as a part of sending Donovan Mitchell to Cleveland. The Finnish Sniper has averaged 24 PPG this season and is coming off a 32 point performance vs the Pacers. 

Lauri is not solely responsible for all of the scoring efforts on the team, and Jordan Clarkson averages 17.9 and Collin Sexton rounds out the top 3 with 16.9 PPG. As a team Utah does not stress the defensive side of the ball however, as they are ranked 22nd in the league in opponent PPG giving up 118.2 a game.

Golden State Warriors Betting Preview

On the other end of the court we have Golden State, who’s roster is assembled in a similar fashion. They have the greatest shooter of all time (sorry Reggie Miller) in Steph Curry, and a supporting cast that can score. 

Steph is in his 15th year but has no signs of slowing down. This year he is averaging 26.7 PPG, and shooting just an insane 40% from three point land. This is no small sample size fluke either - he is shooting 11.75 threes a game, and making 4.7 of them. 

Steph’s team is rounded out by Klay Thomspon who is averaging 18 PPG. Unfortunately for GSW, their go to third scorer in Andrew Wiggins missed the entire off season because of a family matter, and has yet to find his footing this year averaging 12 PPG. That is not to say he can’t score, as he has a season high of 29. 

Golden State relies on their shooters to do simply that - shoot the ball. This is because their defense is lacking this year, tied at 22nd in the NBA in opponent PPG allowed.

My Warriors vs. Jazz Prediction

All signs point to go when it comes to scoring over 244.0 points in this game. In the Jazz’s current win streak they have averaged a staggering 130 points per game, and have topped out at 145 in a game vs Toronto in that stretch. 

They have the 22nd worst defense in the league, and their pace of play is high resulting in the 11th best scoring offense in the league. Golden State is in a similar spot as the Jazz. Their team does not rely on defense in the slightest. Their offense is their focal point, averaging 117 PPG which is 10th in the league narrowly edging out the Jazz. Luckily for us, Rithmm backs these findings!

Out of the 5 criteria I selected for my custom made AI sports betting model, Rithmm gives me the edge to 4 of them towards the over. It highlights the pace of play and tempo as the biggest factors, which I discussed as well. Rithmm estimates a win probability of over 63%, and a massive 21% edge over the 244.0 total line.

Closing

This game will be a high scoring affair and you do not want to be sitting on the sidelines when Lauri is driving to the paint and Steph is sinking step-back threes from the center court logo. 

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