Jazz Win Total Increases from 52.5 to 54, Should You Bet The Over or Under
- The Jazz finished the 2018-2019 regular season 50-32
- Utah averaged 49.5 wins per season over the last three years
- Utah was 30-22 in conference play last year
The Utah Jazz have strengthened their team for next season, but with the strength of the Western Conference increasing as a whole, the book is still out on whether that improvement will show in their record.
The Jazz averaged 49.5 wins per season over the last three seasons with 50 wins in the 2018-2019 season. Taking the average wins and player movement of the Western Conference into consideration, the current odds are leading toward bettors delving into the NBA win totals towards taking the under. Is that the right move?
Utah Jazz 2019-20 Win Total Odds
| Total | Odds |
|---|---|
| Over 54 wins | -125 |
| Under 54 wins | -105 |
*Odds from 19/08/19
The New Look Jazz
The Jazz made a key trade in the offseason with the Memphis Grizzlies by acquiring All-Star level point guard Mike Conley for Grayson Allen, Jae Crowder and Kyle Korver and a pair of draft picks.
Adding Conley to their existing core of reigning Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell and Joe Ingles as well as the signings of Bojan Bogdanovic, Emmanuel Mudiay, Jeff Green and Ed Davis have positioned the Jazz with a deep and versatile roster that looks like a legitimate championship contender on paper.
Western Conference Strength
With the improvement of the roster noted, it will still be a stingy challenge topping 50 wins in what should be a loaded West that harbors at least six championship contenders.
The Los Angeles Clippers inked NBA Champion and MVP Kawhi Leonard who brought along Paul George from the OKC Thunder after he forced a trade to join up with Leonard. LAC also retained reigning 6th Man of the Year Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell.
The Los Angeles Lakers added Anthony Davis and brought in a group of playoff-tested vets around LeBron highlighted by Danny Green.
The NBA’s Western Conference is stacked with title contenders, but there is also room for a few less-heralded squads in the postseason. Who will rise above the rest?@HaleyOSomething: https://t.co/ns9MDFc0ik
— The Ringer (@ringer) July 23, 2019
The Golden State Warriors move on from Kevin Durant and Andre Iguodala, but now have all of their original building blocks in Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson (who should be recovered from his ACL tear in time for the playoffs) locked up long term.
The Houston Rockets traded a disgruntled Chris Paul in exchange for Russell Westbrook to pair with friend and fellow scoring machine James Harden.
The Rockets shake up their team with one huge swing, pairing Russell Westbrook with James Harden to field a backcourt with two former MVPs https://t.co/SG16mj64H7
— The Crossover (@TheCrossover) July 12, 2019
The Portland Trailblazers added to their front line by making a high-risk, high-reward trade for Hassan Whiteside, and hope for Lillard and McCollum to carry them once again.
The Denver Nuggets finished first in the Northwest Division last season, winning 54 games led by Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, who should continue to improve this season.
What’s the Best Bet?
Utah is definitely a better team for next season, the starting lineup is one of the best in the West, but how they come together and how the bench plays will be a determining factor for their record.
The Jazz haven’t won more than 51 games in the last five regular seasons and the last time Utah won 54 games was the 2007-2008 season around a core of Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur and Andrei Kirilenko.
Because the overall strength has increased in the Western Conference, the under looks like the play here despite the Jazz’ championship hopes being the highest they’ve had in years.
Lindsey graduated with a Masters in Broadcast and Digital Journalism in 2016, and since then has served as a commentator for men's and women's college sports, a contributor for USA TODAY Sports Media Group, and works as a local radio traffic anchor.
