Los Angeles Lakers vs Utah Jazz 2/24/21: Starting Lineups, Matchup Preview, Betting Odds

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Utah Jazz Matchup Preview

The Lakers come into Utah tonight dropping three straight and are 6-4 in their last ten games. Meanwhile, the Jazz is 9-1 and 25-6 on the season as they lead the West by three games. The Jazz will be looking to further distance themselves from the rest of the Los Angeles teams. The Lakers will continue to be without Anthony Davis and Dennis Schroder, which has become a major issue for the team over the last few games. Utah will get back Mike Conley for this one and at full strength, this is one of the more dangerous teams in the league. Oddsmakers have the Jazz as -8.5 favorites tonight against the weakened Lakers squad. For odds movement and full matchup history, visit the Los Angeles Lakers at Utah Jazz Matchup Page.

TV Schedule

Date: 2/24/21
Time: 10:00 PM ET
Arena: Vivint Smart Home Arena – Salt Lake City, UT
Channel: ESPN

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Lakers Starting 5

PG: LeBron James
SG: Wesley Matthews
SF: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
PF: Kyle Kuzma
C: Marc Gasol

Lakers Analysis

The cracks without Anthony Davis are starting to show and the same goes for them without Dennis Schroder. Stepping down from Schroder to insert Wesley Matthews and Kyle Kuzma in for Davis is going to put some strain on the team, especially given those guys were coming off the bench. Going up against Utah who has those secondary guns like Joe Ingles and Jordan Clarkson off the bench, the Lakers will have a tough task ahead of them. Davis being out also gives the Jazz all the control in the frontcourt. This is definitely set up for one of those memorable MVP moments if LeBron James has a stellar performance tonight and takes down the Jazz because that is what it will take alongside some of the secondary names to at least put up an average game. However, against a strong Jazz defense, it isn’t something I would bank on.

Jazz Starting 5

PG: Mike Conley
SG: Donovan Mitchell
SF: Bojan Bogdanovic
PF: Royce O’Neal
C: Rudy Gobert

Jazz Analysis

The Jazz is top five in both offensive and defensive rating this season and also tops in points per game and points per game allowed. They have been one of the elite teams in the league and are currently one of the better teams against teams over .500. Rudy Gobert has had a strong season and might be the defensive player of the year. He is averaging 13 and 13 with 2.8 blocks per game. Donovan Mitchell is averaging 24.5 points per game this season and also dishing out 5.2 assists per game. We have seen the better play from Mike Conley, who is making 2.8 threes per game and 16.4 points per game on the year. Jordan Clarkson off the bench has been fantastic, averaging 18.3 points per game this season, shooting 38% from three and 45% from the field.

Lakers & Jazz DFS Angle

The Jazz has been rolling and it has shown in fantasy as well. Rudy Gobert is in a good spot tonight without Anthony Davis and facing Marc Gasol and Montrezl Harrell. He is averaging 40.3 fantasy points over his last ten games. This will be a tougher task for Montrezl Harrell tonight and his price tag went up after the last game. I am not a big fan in this spot, and the same goes for Kyle Kuzma. They are now priced where I can look cheaper or in the same range for better matchups. A Bojan Bogdanovic is only $5,100 on DK tonight and has some upside in this spot. Otherwise, you are continuing to look at the high usage guys on each side which are Donovan Mitchell and LeBron James. Both continue to be strong fantasy plays but neither are must-plays on this slate.

Lakers vs. Jazz Betting Odds

Lakers Spread: +8.5
Lakers Moneyline: -265
Jazz Spread: -8.5
Jazz Moneyline: +215
Over/Under Points Total: 220

The Lakers are 2-7 against the spread over the last nine games but have covered in the last five against the Jazz. Overall Utah has been rolling and has been the best when it comes to beating the spread. They are 23-7-1 on the season. Without Anthony Davis, we have seen the struggles of the Lakers. That is expected to continue into tonight, especially on the road against Utah. With no Schroder and Davis, this has been too much to overcome even against lesser teams, so I see them struggling again tonight. Utah should continue to put distance between them and the Lakers as they battle it out for the top spot in the West.