Golden State Warriors vs Utah Jazz Odds, Predictions & Props (Jan. 17)

• Just 3-8 in their past ten, the Golden State Warriors visit the surging Utah Jazz on Wednesday night
• Utah has won six in a row and nine of ten
• See the Warriors vs Jazz odds, predictions, and player props on Jan. 17

Something is broken in the Bay Area. The Golden State Warriors (18-22, 7-11 away, 19-21 ATS) have lost eight of their past 11 games to fall to 12th in the Western Conference. The schedule brings an unwelcome sight in the form of the hottest team in the entire NBA, the Utah Jazz (22-20, 15-5 home, ATS), who have won a league-best six straight games.

Tip-off at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City is scheduled for 7:00 pm MT/9:00 pm ET. The Warriors vs Jazz odds favor the red-hot home team, but not by much.

Golden State Warriors vs Utah Jazz Odds

The Jazz are laying just 3.5 points in Wednesday’s NBA odds and are listed as -168 moneyline favorites. The Warriors are +135 road underdogs to break their current two-game losing streak.

Odds as of Jan. 17 on the BetMGM app. New users can follow this link to claim a BetMGM promo code. 

If the season ended today, the Warriors would be on the outside of the NBA playoff bracket looking in, currently 1.5 games back of the #10 LA Lakers, who own the final Play-In Tournament position. Utah’s six-game win streak has vaulted the team to ninth in the West, 1.5 games ahead of the tenth-place Lakers, but still 2.5 back of sixth-place New Orleans.

Warriors’ Defense Letting the Team Down

While Draymond Green was serving his latest month-long suspension, the Warriors’ fell to 25th in the NBA in Defensive Rating (117.7). In contrast, they finished 14th in D-Rating last season and second the year prior.

Green returned to the floor in Golden State’s most-recent game, but didn’t look himself. He managed just seven points, seven rebounds, four assists, three turnovers, and four fouls in 24 minutes during a 116-107 loss at Memphis as 7.5-point favorites.

Golden State has been better at the offensive end of the floor, but not good enough to overcome their serious defensive deficiencies. The Dubs sit 13th in O-Rating (116.5) and 18th in Net Rating (-1.2).

Steph Curry is averaging a team-high 26.7 PPG, but his Player Efficiency Rating of 20.5 is the lowest its been since his second year in the league (2010-11). Klay Thompson’s decline has been even more precipitous; Thompson’s PPG has dropped from 21.9 last year (and 19.6 career) to just 17.3 this season, while his PER of 12.9 is also the lowest since his second season (2012-13). Andrew Wiggins, who emerged as a viable third option last few seasons when he averaged 18.9 PPG in a Warriors uniform, is scoring a career-low 11.9 PPG.

Jazz Beating Good Teams Lately

Utah’s current streak includes some massively impressive victories, including wins over Milwaukee (132-116 away), Denver (124-111 home), Indiana (132-105 home), and Philadelphia without Joel Embiid (120-109 away). Their only loss in their past ten games was a 126-97 setback at league-leading Boston.

Last time out Lauri Markkanen scored a team-high 32 in Utah’s win over the Pacers.

While Golden State’s stars trend down with age, Markkanen continues to get better as he enters his prime. The 26-year-old Finn is averaging 24.0 PPG and 8.8 RPG with a career-best 23.9 PER.

Jordan Clarkson (17.9 PPG) and Collin Sexton (16.9 PPG) are providing invaluable secondary scoring, though Utah still has a -1.9 point differential on the season.

Warriors vs Jazz Player Props

Player props from the DraftKings Sportsbook app. 

Curry (27.5) and Markkanen (25.5) have the highest point totals in the NBA player props for Golden State vs Utah. Markkanen also has the highest rebound total on the board at 8.5.

Draymond Green remains off the board as oddsmakers take a wait-and-see approach with his minutes.

Warriors vs Jazz Prediction

There may come a time this season when the Warriors return to, at the very least, the form that saw them go 44-38 last year and earn the #6 seed in the West. With Draymond back in the mix, that time may come sooner rather than later. But his mere presence didn’t provide an immediate boost, as evidenced they Golden State’s ugly loss to a Ja Morant-less Memphis team last time out.

Coming up against the hottest team in the league, a team that’s also an excellent 15-5 at home in Salt Lake City’s rarified air, don’t expect Golden State’s turnaround to start tonight.

Golden State vs Utah pick: Jazz -3.5 (-110)

Sascha Paruk’s 2023-24 NBA betting record:

• 10-10-2 ATS (-0.59 units)
• 10-12 ML (-3.17 units)
• 7-11 player props (-4.82 units)
• 0-1 same-game parlay (-2.00 units)

All wagers one unit unless expressly stated otherwise.