NBA Pick: Jazz -1.5 (-110) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
It’s a battle of eight seeds as the Atlanta Hawks continue their Western Conference road trip with a game at the Utah Jazz and we have some NBA picks and props for it.
The Hawks are No. 8 in the East, a game and a half back of the seventh-place Knicks and one game up on No. 9 Washington. They snapped a two-game losing streak with their first win of the road trip on Wednesday, blowing out the Suns, 132-100, in Phoenix. That got them to .500 on the year for the first time in more than two weeks.
The Jazz are in eighth in the West, tied with No. 7 Phoenix and a half-game ahead of ninth-place Golden State. They beat Toronto at home for their second straight victory. It moved them to a game over .500 but just one game out of fourth place in the crowded middle of the Western Conference.
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Atlanta Hawks vs. Utah Jazz
Friday, February 3, 2023 – 09:00 PM EST at Vivint Arena
Deal Season
Both teams have had up and down seasons as they’ve hovered around .500, and both remain on the lower tier of the playoff picture. That makes both Atlanta and Utah prime candidates to be movers and shakers at the upcoming NBA trade deadline. The February 9 deadline is now less than a week away, and both teams have been rumored to be working the phones.
In fact, the most likely deal might be between the two teams. Utah is very interested in Atlanta's big man John Collins, who seems like he’s been on the trading block for years. While Houston is also interested in Collins, Utah is widely believed to be the most likely trade partner for the Hawks.
Reportedly Atlanta just lowered its asking price. Supposedly, the team is no longer demanding a first-round pick to part with Collins and will instead let him go for a package of players. That means Friday’s game might be a last-chance showcase for Collins as the two teams circle a deal.
Utah is also involved with other potential deals. While they’re looking to add Collins, the Jazz are expected to be sellers at the deadline. Reports say that only three players—rookies Walker Kessler and Ochai Agbaji, as well as brand new All-Star Lauri Markkanen are not available at the deadline. Among the most likely candidates to move are Jarred Vanderbilt, Kelly Olynyk, and Malik Beasley. Mike Conley and Jordan Clarkson are also possible trade targets for other teams.
The Hawks might also be in sell mode. In addition to Collins, the team appears to be shopping Bogdan Bogdanovic and reports say that “half the league” is interested in him.
Snub Season
As if the trade deadline wasn’t distraction enough as these two potential sellers meet in Utah, the NBA All-Star reserves were announced on Thursday, adding another helping of drama to the game.
Trae Young, who returned from an ankle injury to score 20 points with 12 assists in Wednesday’s win in Phoenix, was left off the list of reserves, despite a 27 ppg scoring average and double-figures in assists on the year. It’s the second time in three years that Young has been snubbed, and this one was an equal-opportunity show of disrespect for the Hawks scorer.
Young finished fifth among Eastern Conference players in fan voting and sixth in the media vote. Perhaps most galling to Young, he was twelfth in player voting for the All-Star team. The rest of the league had LaMelo Ball, who has missed two dozen games with injury, ahead of Young in the vote. Look for Young to arrive in Salt Lake City with something to prove on Friday night.
The Picks
The last time Young was snubbed for the All-Star team was in 2021 when the game was held in his home arena. All he did in response was lead the Hawks to the Eastern Conference finals. Look for him to have a chip on his shoulder on Friday. We’re thinking he’ll be lighting up from outside and cutting back on sharing the ball after a string of double-digit assist nights.
After checking out the NBA odds, we still like the Jazz to pull it out against the one-man Hawks show, however.
NBA Pick: Jazz -1.5 (-110) at BetOnline
NBA Pick: Trae Young over 2.5 three-pointers made (+125) at BetOnline
NBA Pick: Trae Young under 9.5 assists (+104) at BetOnline
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
