The Utah Jazz (35-37) will play a critical game when they host the Milwaukee Bucks (52-20) on Friday night. Utah is a half-game back of four teams for eighth place in the Western Conference standings, putting the Jazz outside of the NBA play-in tournament picture. Milwaukee has won four of its last five games and is 2.5 games ahead of Boston atop the Eastern Conference standings.
Tipoff is set for 9 p.m. ET from Salt Lake City. Milwaukee is favored by 9.5 points in the latest Jazz vs. Bucks odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under is set at 236.5. Before entering any Bucks vs. Jazz picks, you'll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past four-plus seasons. The model enters Week 23 of the 2022-23 NBA season a stunning 69-36 on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning nearly $2,900. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Jazz vs. Bucks. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for Bucks vs. Jazz:
- Jazz vs. Bucks spread: Jazz +9.5
- Jazz vs. Bucks over/under: 236.5 points
- Jazz vs. Bucks money line: Utah +328, Milwaukee -430
- Jazz vs. Bucks picks: See picks here
Why the Jazz can cover
Utah has won four of its last six games to get back into contention for a spot in the Western Conference play-in tournament. The Jazz are only a half-game back of four teams that are tied ahead of them, so a win on Friday could vault them back into the postseason picture. They were 4.5-point underdogs in their win over Boston last Saturday and were 7-point underdogs in their win over Sacramento on Monday.
This will be the final game of a four-game homestand for Utah, while Milwaukee is on the road for the first time in 10 days. Veteran power forward Kelly Olynyk posted a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds against Portland on Wednesday, making all eight of his attempts from the charity stripe. Utah is 19-1 in its last 20 home games against Milwaukee and has covered the spread in six of its last seven games. The Jazz will also get to face an undermanned Bucks squad that will be without three-time All-Star Khris Middleton (knee).
Why the Bucks can cover
The Jazz are going to be severely shorthanded on Friday night, as Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton, Rudy Gay and Jordan Clarkson are all sidelined due to injuries. Markkanen scored 40 points and grabbed 12 rebounds against Portland on Wednesday, and he has been the team's leading scorer this season. Clarkson and Sexton rank second and third, respectively, in scoring, so they will be tough absences to overcome.
Milwaukee has won 23 of its last 26 games, cruising to a blowout win over San Antonio on Wednesday. Power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo had 31 points and 14 rebounds, shooting 14 of 23 from the floor, shifting his season average to 31.2 points and 11.9 rebounds per game. Milwaukee is 10-1-1 ATS in its last 12 road games, while Utah has only covered three times in its last nine games.
How to make Jazz vs. Bucks picks
The model has simulated Bucks vs. Jazz 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Under, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in almost 70% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Jazz vs. Bucks? And which side of the spread is hitting almost 70% of the time? Visit SportsLine to see which side of the Bucks vs. Jazz spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.
