The Golden State Warriors and Utah Jazz have key players listed as questionable for Wednesday. How will the NBA odds respond? Let’s break it down with this betting preview.
Golden State Warriors vs. Utah Jazz
Wednesday, February 09, 2022 – 10:00 PM EST at Vivint Arena
Klay Thompson is a medical miracle. It was two years and a half between games for Thompson, but since his return from multiple catastrophic injuries, Thompson has played some of the best basketball of his career – and the Golden State Warriors (41-13 SU, 29-21-4 ATS) are taking advantage.
They’re 8-4 SU in the dozen games Thompson has dressed for, although unprofitably so at 5-6-1 ATS.
One problem: Thompson will not appear in Wednesday’s game against the Utah Jazz (33-21 SU, 23-29-2 ATS). This is the first game of a back-to-back for the Warriors, so they’re giving Thompson the night off; it was his 32nd birthday on Tuesday, as well.
While Thompson recovers, the remaining Dubs will try to beat the NBA odds as 3.5-point road dogs at DraftKings, and it won’t be easy, even if the Jazz are missing a very important player of their own.
Center Of Attention
The player in question: Rudy Gobert, the reigning and three-time Defensive Player of the Year. Gobert hasn’t played since January 23 because of a strained right calf, which he suffered at some point during a 94-92 loss to the Warriors (-2 at home).
Thompson also missed that game, but Gobert had 12 points and 18 rebounds for Utah. His status from that point onwards has been day-to-day, and word came down just a couple of hours ago that Gobert won’t play Wednesday.
Donovan Mitchell will, though. He’s a key ingredient in all this; Mitchell didn’t play in that January game against Golden State, still suffering the effects of a concussion. His first game back was last Friday’s 125-102 win over the Brooklyn Nets (+5.5 away), and his second was Monday’s 113-104 win over the New York Knicks (+6.5 away).
Both games barely snuck under their posted totals despite Mitchell scoring a combined 59 points.
Small Talk
That still leaves a gaping hole in Utah’s frontcourt where Gobert used to be, but the Warriors might not have any centers of their own Wednesday night.
Kevon Looney is questionable for this game with a left quad contusion; Nemanja Bjelica, nominally a center but more of a power forward, is out with a bad back, so that leaves Golden State without any players over 6-foot-8 if Looney doesn’t suit up.
In the modern NBA, maybe that’s a feature rather than a bug. But the Warriors are also without Draymond Green (back), himself a former Defensive Player of the Year. He’s not expected back until early March, if not longer.
The Pick
Meanwhile, Utah’s Joe Ingles (knee) is out for the remainder of the season, and Rudy Gay (knee) is questionable for Wednesday. Definitely wait until the morning shoot-around to see what’s up, but this does look like a spot where Utah belongs in your NBA picks.
NBA Pick: Jazz -3.5 (-105) at DraftKings
