Free Pick | NBA | Thursday | Dec. 14

#529 Utah Jazz +4.5 over Portland Trailblazers 9:10 PM CT

After competing well last season the Jazz are just 8-16 this season with one of the worst average scoring differentials in the NBA. With a 1-11 road record, Utah will play as a modest underdog in Portland tonight even through the Blazers are just 6-16 and have only won two home games all season long. Portland is at home but has been dealt a tough start to December playing six of the past seven games on the road, including a 118-113 loss in Salt Lake City on December 2. The Jazz had 18 turnovers and shot below 21 percent from 3-point range but still won, thanks to a massive rebounding edge and a pronounced edge in the paint, +26 in scoring for Utah. Portland had a significant free throw edge in that game but didn’t get the job done in a game that Utah led most of the way before a late flurry put the Blazers and Jazz in overtime. The Blazers and Jazz split a pair of games in November as this will already be the fourth meeting of the season. Utah is coming off playing last night but it was a positive result, beating the Knicks 117-11 and the Jazz are 4-5 in the past nine games for a competitive run. Losing by 50 to Dallas earlier this month skews the scoring numbers against the Jazz as Utah has a more promising season outlook moving forward. The Jazz are significantly short-handed tonight with four starters expected to miss this game, but Collin Sexton is capable of carrying the team and more minutes for Walker Kessler, Ochai Agbaji, and Talen Horton-Tucker may not be a bad thing for this group in the short-term. Jerami Grant and Deandre Ayton are out for the Blazers and Malcolm Brogdon is a question mark as Portland will be an incomplete team as well but the depth for the Jazz is preferable.