Warriors vs Jazz Odds and Picks

• The Warriors hit the road to face the Jazz on Saturday, January 1st
• Utah will be playing the tail-end of a back-to-back
• Read on for the odds, preview, and prediction

The Golden State Warriors and Utah Jazz will kick off 2022 with a heavyweight battle on Saturday, January 1st at Vivint Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 9pm ET.

The Dubs were supposed to play on Thursday against the Nuggets, but it was postponed due to COVID-19. However, they did lose to Denver on Tuesday. The Jazz, on the other hand, shellacked the Timberwolves on Friday as Donovan Mitchell erupted for a game-high 39 points in his return from a minor back injury. Utah has now won six straight coming into this contest against the NBA-best Warriors.

Warriors vs Jazz Odds

Odds as of December 31st at FanDuel.

The Jazz are a 4.5-point home favorite vs Stephen Curry and Co but have gone just 8-11 ATS at Vivint Arena. Golden State isn’t usually an underdog but they’ve posted a 3-2 ATS record in this position this season.

Another Game Without Draymond

Draymond Green still remains in COVID-19 protocols and Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said that he won’t likely be available until next week. That being said, Golden State is once again without their best defender, which is certainly going to make this a tougher task against one of the better all-around squads in the league. However, Jordan Poole is returning from protocols, which is a huge boost on both ends of the floor.

Draymond Green isn’t expected to return for the Warriors tomorrow in Utah against the Jazz, but Steve Kerr said there’s hope of possible return when Warriors get back home. Still hasn’t cleared protocols.

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) December 31, 2021

The Dubs held the Nuggets to just 89 points on Tuesday, but Draymond’s absence was felt, especially when it came to containing Nikola Jokic. The reigning MVP dropped 22 points and grabbed 19 rebounds as he led Denver to a slim victory. The Warriors were surprisingly held to 86 points and although four of their five starters finished in double digits, Kerr received basically no production from the bench, which accounted for a mere 15 points.

Steph’s 23 were a team-high but he was definitely off, shooting just 5-for-14 from downtown. As a whole, Golden State struggled on their triples, draining just 31% of them. With Poole back in the mix against Utah, the first unit should be clicking a lot more as the Warriors look to get back in the win column before heading back home for a tilt with the Heat on Monday.

Jazz Are Hot

The Timberwolves were missing several key players including Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell but boy, did the Jazz take it to them. Quin Snyder’s group scored 120 points or more for the fourth time in five games as they pulled away with a big final period, outscoring Minny 34-21.

Mitchell didn’t miss a beat in his return after sitting for two games with a back problem. The All-Star guard was in his bag, pouring in 39 points in 38 minutes while also dishing out five dimes. Spida couldn’t miss from beyond the arc either, draining 6-of-11. He was the leading catalyst in Utah’s outburst in the fourth, helping the squad spark a 22-0 run with 12 points. Rudy Gobert played a key part inside as well, grabbing 16 boards.

Spida sizzles for a season-high 🕷@spidadmitchell drops 39 PTS to lead the @utahjazz to the New Year's Eve W! 🎶 pic.twitter.com/Fmv6JEzxqY

— NBA (@NBA) January 1, 2022

The Jazz have now outscored their previous two opponents by a total of 27 points, but the Dubs will be one of their toughest tests yet during this current win streak, where they’ve faced the likes of San Antonio, Dallas, and Portland. Utah is 14-6 at home this season and is unbeaten in four consecutive games in front of their fans.

Warriors vs Jazz Prediction

It’s a little hard to understand why the Jazz head into Saturday as a clear favorite but it simply comes down to Draymond being unavailable for the Dubs. However, I personally don’t see Golden State losing again. Last season, Steph dropped 30+ points in back-to-back wins against Utah and you’re going to see him show out again here. Take the visitors on the moneyline. It’s huge value.

Pick: Warriors moneyline (+172)