Jazz vs. Thunder NBA expert prediction and odds for Wednesday, March 20 (Trust OKC at home)

The Oklahoma City Thunder are looking to hang on to the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference on Wednesday night in a divisional clash with the Utah Jazz. 

Utah, who got Lauri Markkanen back in the lineup on Monday night in a loss to Minnesota, may have lost John Collins (concussion, questionable) after he was dunked on badly by Anthony Edwards. Markkanen will miss this game due to injury maintenance. 

The Jazz have struggled all season on the road, going just 9-24 straight up, and they are 2-8 in their last 10 games. 

Can Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder make quick work of a likely lottery team to stay in the mix for the No. 1 spot in the conference? 

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Let’s break down the latest odds and my best bet for this matchup: 

Jazz vs. Thunder odds, spread and total

Jazz vs. Thunder how to watch

• Date: Wednesday, March 20
• Time: 8:00 p.m. EST
• Venue: Paycom Center
• How to watch (TV): Root Sports Northwest, Bally Sports Oklahoma
• Jazz record: 29-39
• Thunder record: 47-20

Jazz vs. Thunder injury reports

Jazz injury report

• Darius Bazley – out
• Jordan Clarkson – out
• John Collins – questionable
• Lauri Markkanen – out
• Micah Potter – questionable
• Jason Preson – questionable
• Johnny Juzang – questionable
• Kenneth Lofton Jr. – out

Thunder injury report

• Adam Flagler – out

Jazz vs. Thunder key players to watch

Utah Jazz

Collin Sexton: Guard Collin Sexton has been on fire in the month of March, averaging 21.9 points and 5.8 assists per game across eight contests. He’s shooting an impressive 51.1 percent from the field and 46.5 percent from 3 over that stretch, but the Jazz are just 2-6 in those games. Sexton has games of 14, 31 and 20 points against the Thunder this season. 

Oklahoma City Thunder

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: Utah held SGA, who is averaging 30.9 points per game on the season, to just 28 points in its win over the Thunder the last time these teams matched up. The MVP candidate is averaging 29.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game across eight games this month. Can he put together a big game against one of the league’s worst defenses? 

Jazz vs. Thunder prediction and pick

Oklahoma City has a rest advantage in this matchup, which is huge for the team since the Jazz are already going to be short handed in this one. 

Utah did win the last meeting between these teams at Delta Center, but when these teams played in OKC earlier this season, it was a different story. The Thunder won that game by 14, and they’ve shown all season that they are elite as home favorites, going 19-10 against the spread. 

The Jazz, on the other hand, are just 10-17-1 against the spread as road dogs, which is the fifth-worst record in the NBA. 

Utah’s defense is extremely concerning in this matchup, as the team has dipped to 29th in defensive rating on the season. The Thunder rank fifth in the league in defensive rating, but more importantly the team is No. 2 in the NBA in net rating. 

With Minnesota and Denver both on the heels of OKC for the No. 1 seed, I expect the team comes out with a sense of urgency in such a winnable game. 

I’ll lay the points with the Thunder given Utah’s defensive and ATS struggles on the road this season. 

Pick: Thunder -14.5 (-112)

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.