NBA 2021/22 on Tuesday, 28.12.2021
The San Antonio Spurs welcome the Utah Jazz. Given the current outstanding performances, the favoured guest shouldn’t really let anything go to waste here, should they? In fact, I have my justifiable doubts about that.
As you will find out in my Spurs Jazz tip, the two teams met just under a week ago. Not only did the Texans win against all odds – this motivating comeback victory even seems to have unleashed unimagined powers!
If I wanted to keep my Spurs Jazz tip short, I could break it down as follows: Unless Donovan Mitchell suddenly gets sick again, I don’t think the Jazz will leave the court as losers again this time. But even then, I wouldn’t be so sure….
Despite my reservations, the Salt Lake City franchise is currently functioning so well that eleven of the last thirteen NBA games were not simply won: In fact, much of that success has also come with a decent margin of victory.
This was also the case in one of the most recent defeats. On 18.12, the San Antonio Spurs, of all teams, were the guests in the state of Utah – and the home side was even in the lead by 17 points at one point.
But then the outstanding Donovan Mitchell, who until then had played like a star from another planet, suddenly had to go into the dressing room – the reason: he felt sick. The consequence? The Jazz were shipwrecked!
The Texans were actually able to make up the enormous deficit and still achieve a 128-126 victory. This meant that the Jazz’s winning streak, which had now grown to eight games, was finally over.
But this defeat did not leave any visible traces, because with yesterday’s triumph over the Mavericks, Utah is diligently working on its next winning streak (3). But one thing is clear: everything stands and falls with Donovan Mitchell!
While the Spurs are the underdogs in this duel, the Texans have only won 41.9% of their games so far this season. However, they did win in the games that mattered to my Spurs Jazz tip….
After all, there is no denying that the squad is on a tremendous run this Christmas week. By all appearances, the remarkable comeback victory over the Jazz just under a week ago seems to have unleashed hidden forces.
San Antonio then had to deal with the two strong franchises from Los Angeles. Both the Lakers and the Clippers were dispatched with a difference of more than 20 points.
These last three wins over top teams alone prove that the Spurs’ performances in no way reflect their current position in the standings. And the win against the Jazz could have been more than a mere slip-up by the favourites.
Although this is not too meaningful, the two franchises already met during the preseason in October and on that occasion, too, it was the Texans’ fans who had reason to cheer at the end.
At that time, Donovan Mitchell was on the floor until the end of the game, but did not score more than 10 points. However, at that time – as already mentioned – it was still a friendly game…
One thing is clear: The Jazz have only really got going in recent weeks and are considered the favourites to win. But both the high Spurs odds and their status as an “unpleasant opponent” justify the risk of an underdog bet in my eyes.
Bookmaker giant Bet365, for example, offers odds of around 1.27 on a win for the visitors, whereas the odds swell to an impressive 3.77 in the event of another Spurs triumph.
Conclusion: The Jazz will reach the playoffs again, they are simply too strong for that. After all, they won eleven of the last thirteen NBA games – but one of the few losses occurred against the Spurs, of all teams…
Admittedly, until the substitution of Donovan Mitchell, the blue and yellow were setting the tone, but the Texans’ subsequent comeback not only led them to victory over Utah, but also made a difference within the team.
In their subsequent visits to Los Angeles against the Lakers and the Clippers, both of last season’s playoff contenders were promptly dispatched by a difference of more than 20 points each.
The bottom line is that a Jazz win is likely, but given the lush odds and the current run of form, I’m sticking with The Spurs dupe the Jazz again!
