Posted on
12/17/2007 4:11:13 PM
NBA Basketball Betting – Utah at Atlanta
By Charles Jay
The Utah Jazz (14-11 SU, 12-13 ATS), coming off an impressive defensive performance last time out, visit the Phillips Arena on Monday night to take on the Atlanta Hawks (11-12 SU & ATS) in an NBA game scheduled for 7 PM ET.
In the BetUS NBA basketball betting odds, the Jazz is listed at -6, with the total posted at 192.5 points.
In the HEAD-to-HEAD NBA basketball betting trends:
* UTAH has won and covered the last nine meetings
* The favorite has covered 10 of the last 11 meetings
* Six of the last eight meetings have gone UNDER the total
In the last meeting, Utah won 102-76 as an eight-point home favorite. Prior to that they were 5.5-point favorites and came from 21 points down in the fourth quarter to come away with the win AND the cover - 112-106 in Atlanta.
Utah held Seattle to less than 33% shooting on Saturday night when they beat the young Sonics 96-75, covering an 8.5-point spread at home. Prior to that, however, Utah lost six straight games, five of them on the road. It appears as if the Jazz is playing at a different pace of late, though; after going through a four-game period where they allowed 112 points a game, Jerry Sloan's squad has yielded only 93.5 ppg over the last four. The jazz will be missing Matt Harpring and Mehmet Okur with injuries for this game. Also:
* UTAH is 2-6 ATS in its last eight games
* UTAH has played four straight games UNDER the total
* UTAH has played 19 OVERS in its last 26 road games
Atlanta is making progress, after years of limbo. Behind Joe Johnson, one of the genuine star players in the league, the Hawks are hovering around the .500 mark, which is unusual for them, this late in the season. Atlanta has won four of its last six games, including a 93-84 victory over Charlotte on Saturday, where Johnson and Marvin Williams combined for 51 points. Al Horford, the burly rookie center, returned from a one-game suspension and got six points with four rebounds. The Hawks are a bit banged up right now; rookie Acie Law is out with a knee injury, and veteran guards Tyrone Lue and Speedy Claxton are already out. Meanwhile, Josh Childress is doubtful with a groin injury. Also:
* ATL is 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games as an underdog
* ATL has played 12 UNDERS in its last 14 games
* ATL has covered two of its last six home games
* ATL has played six UNDERS in its last eight home games
* ATL has played four straight UNDERS coming off a days' rest
Utah's recent matchup history over Atlanta has been impressive, but one might argue that this is a slightly different Hawks team than they have put on the floor the last few seasons. Mehmet Okur, who would be able to stretch out the Atlanta defense and draw Horford away from the basket, is out of this game. Both teams will be missing some depth, which means that second unit personnel won't be as productive. And both teams are skewing toward low-scoring contests, especially Atlanta, which has played 12 of the last 14 under the total. Let's go "under" the 192.5 points, as posted in the BetUS NBA betting odds.
BetUS NBA basketball betting odds: UTAH -6, Total 192.5
JAY'S PLAY: UNDER 192.5
You’ll find the latest 2007-2008 NBA odds and lines in the best online sportsbook, BetUS.com. Betting on NBA player and game props makes every aspect of the game exciting. Join BetUS.com today to bet on the NBA and make online sports betting work for you!
(Charles Jay of TotalActionExtra.com is a freelance writer and handicapper who not only can make his shots from the top of the key, but also contributes with gusto to the BetUS Locker Room)