Utah at Detroit is a sneaky good NBA matchup for Wednesday night and one with some good value for bettors. Both teams find themselves likely headed to the postseason. The Jazz sit comfortably in the #4 spot in the West but need to hold off the Clippers to retain home court in the first round of the playoffs. Detroit sits as the 7th seed but has 3 teams trailing them all within 2 games.
Wednesday's tilt is important for both teams, but there is a side that may have a decided advantage.
The Jazz have built their successful 2016/17 campaign on the heels of a solid 19-13 road record. Utah is also clicking at the right time as they've posted wins in 7 of 10 matchups over the past couple weeks. That being said their current six-game road stand hasn't got off to the best of starts with consecutive losses at Houston and in OKC.
Detroit is far more comfortable at home this season, going 22-12 for the swan song at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Detroit, like Utah, has played some of their best ball down the stretch also posting a 7-3 record over a 10 game span recently. Both teams are hot, but something has to give.
Jazz-Pistons March 15th Pick
Arguably the biggest factor that is going to decide Wednesday night's fate could be fatigue. Sure the Jazz are in the midst of a 5 of 6 game road swing but they'll have had a full night off before the matchup in Detroit. On the contrary, the Pistons are in the middle of 3 games in 5 nights and will be playing Wednesday night on the second leg of a back-to-back after a Tuesday night showdown in Cleveland.
Utah has also proven they can match up well with Detroit this season – extremely well as a matter of fact. In a January 13th matchup in Salt Lake City, the Jazz dominated Detroit 110-77, getting a 33 point victory even as 11-point favourites.
Sometimes matchups like this can be a revenge game with both teams getting a blowout win on their home court in a season. Unfortunately, the travel schedule for the Pistons and the subsequent rest for the Jazz makes a split unlikely. The pick in this matchup is the Utah Jazz.
