The 2023-24 NBA season continues to roll right along on Wednesday night and there are several key games on the schedule. One of those games will take place in the Western Conference as the Golden State Warriors will visit the Utah Jazz.
It has been a miserable season for the Golden State Warriors, and this team has also dropped four of its last five games. Golden State is now sitting at just 18-22 on the year, and at some point this team will need to turn things around.
Utah comes into this game with a record of 22-20, and they have been the hottest team in the NBA of late. The Jazz have rattled off six straight wins, and they are starting to look like a contender in the Western Conference.
Utah comes into this game as a 4.5-point betting favorite over the Golden State Warriors.
Warriors Can’t Get Stops
If the Golden State Warriors are going to turn things back around, then this team is going to have to start playing defense. Golden State has allowed at least 116 points in each of their last five games, including over 129 in four of them.
The Warriors do have Draymond Green back in the lineup again, but his return didn’t do the team much good in their loss on Monday night. Not only have the Warriors been a bad defensive team this season, but they haven’t been able to score points.
Golden State is used to being the most efficient offensive team in the NBA, but they have not been making shots this season. Stephen Curry is still averaging 26.7 points per game, but at some point he needs some help.
Jazz Scoring Some Points
The overall season stats show that the Jazz are scoring just 116.8 points per game this season, but that hasn’t been the case of late. Utah has scored at least 124 points in each of their last five games, and they are shooting the ball well.
Lauri Markkanen is once again leading the way with 24 points per game, but he has started to get some help of late. Utah has a ton of momentum on offense, and they will look to push the tempo and try to wear down Golden State.
There are still some concerns about whether or not Utah is good enough defensively to win games, but that hasn’t slowed them down of late.
Utah Continues Hot Streak
It’s simply too hard to trust the Golden State Warriors at this point of the season as they just haven’t been able to string together many wins. Golden State still has Stephen Curry scoring points on offense, but at some point this team will have to defend.
Utah has been on fire on offense over the last few weeks, and this team is going to continue this trend on their home floor. Don’t expect a huge blowout in this game, but the Jazz are more than good enough to take care of business.
Bet on the Utah Jazz to not only win this game, but to also cover the 4.5-point spread in this Western Conference matchup.
