San Antonio Spurs vs. Utah Jazz 12/4/18: Starting Lineups, Matchup Breakdown, Odds, Daily Fantasy, Betting

Spurs vs. Jazz Matchup Preview

Tonight’s game is the first of the seasons series between the San Antonio Spurs (11-12) and Utah Jazz (11-13). Last season, the Jazz led the Spurs 3-1. The Spurs recently put a stop to their two-game skid with a win over the Portland Trailblazers. Any shooting issues the team had as a whole seemed to work themselves out against Portland, but San Antonio’s biggest issue, defense, will be put to the test by a high-scoring backcourt duo of Ricky Rubio and Donovan Mitchell.

Rubio has had the Spurs’ number in the past. Last season he averaged 21.7 points on 58 percent shooting from the field, and 77 percent from long distance. He also added 8.3 assists and 5.7 rebounds against a San Antonio team that had the services of Tony Parker and Dejounte Murray.

Although Mitchell only played in two games during the season series, he torched San Antonio with 30 points, five rebounds, four assists, and 3.5 steals during his rookie campaign.

While the Spurs are coming off a needed win, the Jazz, who recently added Kyler Korver, are coming off a close loss to the Miami Heat on Sunday night.

When Rubio and Mitchell aren’t squaring off against Bryn Forbes and DeMar DeRozan, look for a battle down low to be played out between Rudy Gobert and LaMarcus Aldridge.

TV Schedule

Date: 12/4/18
Time: 9:00pm ET
Arena: Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City, UT
Channel: Fox Sports Southwest/AT&T SportsNet

San Antonio Spurs Starting Lineup

PositionStarter
PGDerrick White
SGBryn Forbes
SFDeMar DeRozan
PFLaMarcus Aldridge
CJakob Poeltl

Spurs Analysis

 

San Antonio SpursThis has been a strange year for the Spurs to say the least. With Manu Ginobili retiring, Tony Parker heading East and Kawhi Leonard requesting a trade in the offseason, San Antonio added eight new players and they have sputtered out of the gates. To add to that, starting point guard Dejounte Murray, who seemed primed for a breakout season, was lost likely for the season.

These aren’t your daddy’s, uncles or even big brother’s Spurs anymore, and the team once built on a solid defensive foundation is having to outscore teams to win games. That’s usually not a problem when DeMar DeRozan, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Rudy Gay are knocking down, but when the offense starts to become an issue, as it had recently, the wheels begin to fall off, as evidenced by blowout losses to the Minnesota Timberwolves and Houston Rockets.

Sunday night’s win over Portland was a shot in the arm for the Spurs. DeRozan scored his season high of 36 and Aldridge seemed to bust his slump, even if temporarily, with 29 points.

San Antonio hopes to keep the good times rolling tonight, but they’ll face a team that could pose more of a threat defensively than Portland was able to.

Spurs Quick Links: Spurs Starting Lineup, Spurs Roster, Spurs Depth Chart, Spurs Injuries, Spurs News, Spurs Schedule

Utah Jazz Starting Lineup

PositionStarter
PGDonovan Mitchell
SGRoyce O'Neale
SFJoe Ingles
PFDerrick Favors
CRudy Gobert

Jazz Analysis

Utah JazzThe Utah Jazz had their two-game winning streak snapped on Sunday night as they lost a close one 100-102 to the Miami Heat. The Jazz were up early, and even led by 19 in the first half, but they couldn’t close to extend their streak.

While the Jazz are on the lower end of the scoring spectrum in the league, they definitely have the players that can light it up, although they’ve been inconsistent at teams. However, their biggest strength is on defense, where they are sixth in the NBA in scoring defense, allowing just 108 points per game during a season where scoring has been way up. That will prove pivotal against a Spurs team that is now stronger on the offensive side of the ball.

As mentioned above, Rubio and Mitchell have performed well historically against the Spurs, but the Jazz will gave San Antonio something else to be mindful of as Gobert patrols the paint. He is currently third in the league in rebounds and fifth in blocked shots.

Coach Quin Snyder knows the Spurs well, having coached the Spurs’ G-League team, which runs all of San Antonio’s schemes.

The Jazz recently welcomed back guard/forward Kyle Korver, who should help spread the floor. In his first game back with Utah, he finished with 14 points in 22 minutes, knocking down four of his six three-point attempts. He wasn’t as successful against the Heat, but he should receive a solid ovation at home tonight. As Snyder said recently, Korver gives the Jazz a player that causes teams to change the way they defend when he’s on the floor.

Jazz Quick Links: Jazz Starting LineupJazz Roster, Jazz Depth Chart, Jazz InjuriesJazz News, Jazz Schedule

Spurs vs. Jazz Betting Odds

The Jazz are 6 point favorites to win this game at home. The Jazz are 3-16-5 against the spread, while the Spurs are 6-12-5.

Odds & Line Movement Links: San Antonio Spurs vs. Utah Jazz, Vegas Odds (All NBA Games Today)

DraftKings & FanDuel Fantasy Picks

Value Picks: While it’s no secret that the Spurs’ success hinges greatly on DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge, their win shares increase when Rudy Gay is that vital third cog. Gay provides excellent value at just a $5,500 salary. He is projected for 29.46 points tonight. With Jazz defensive ace Crowder likely taking on the assignment of DeRozan, Gay should have a favorable matchup with Joe Ingles. Aside from that, Rudy has been showing increases in shooting, rebounding and three-point percentage this season.

Much like the Spurs, where they have two other key contributors, Ricky Rubio plays an important role for the Jazz and his salary is much lower for very comparable numbers.

Rubio’s salary is $6,900 and he is projected for a 32.92 fantasy points performance tonight. Rubio is coming off a big game in Miami and draws Forbes, who is not known for his defense.

Find all of our Fanduel and Draftkings projections here: https://www.lineups.com/nba/nba-fantasy-basketball-projections

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Michael is Chief Editor at Lineups.com. He has decades of combined experience in traditional print journalism and online media and is the publisher of the Project Spurs Network, which includes 13 team-specific sports media sites and the flagship ProjectSpurs.com. He is also the creator of the first Spurs podcast and the longest-running sports podcast on the internet, the Spurscast, and was formerly the host of the News 4 San Antonio Sports Roundtable.

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