Los Angeles Lakers: 3 bold predictions for showdown vs. Utah Jazz

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - JULY 30: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz drives to the basket against the New Orleans Pelicans during the first half at HP Field House at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on July 30, 2020 in Reunion, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ashley Landis-Pool/Getty Images)
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - JULY 30: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz drives to the basket against the New Orleans Pelicans during the first half at HP Field House at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on July 30, 2020 in Reunion, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ashley Landis-Pool/Getty Images)
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(Photo by Ashley Landis – Pool/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers
(Photo by Ashley Landis – Pool/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers

3. The Los Angeles Lakers win, but don’t cover, and the under hits

This bold prediction is more for the gambling audience and I will advise that you proceed with caution in following my advice — this is merely my prediction if I were to put money on the Lakers-Jazz game.

According to The Action Network, the Lakers are either 6 or 6.5-point favorites in this game, depending on the sportsbook. The over/under points total for the game is either 216.5 or 217, depending on the sportsbook.

I do think that the Lakers are going to win this game but I do not think they are going to cover the spread. Not only that, the under hits in this game.

I really like how the Lakers’ matchup against the Jazz and if you are a frequent reader of my content here at Lake Show Life then you have heard this argument before. With the Lakers and Jazz, you have two solid defensive teams, one of which has far more weapons to score with (the Lakers) than the others.

As a result, you get hard-nosed defensive games where the Lakers pull away because of their weapons. That is why the Lakers have handled the Jazz fairly easily this season, beating them by nine and 25 points.

This game will be different, though, as the Lakers are not being very efficient offensively and the Jazz are going to be a good team that is able to limit Anthony Davis. I think LeBron scores 30-32, Davis scores 20-23, Waiters scores 15-17 and the rest of the Lakers combined for another 25-30 points or so.

I think the final total of this game looks very similar to the Lakers’ game against the Los Angeles Clippers. They will win this game with a 2-5 point lead in a game where they barely scratch triple digits.