Utah at Los Angeles

The Lakers won and covered game one, winning by 11 points. But Utah hung with them for most of the game. They could have easily covered the spread but fell apart very late. Don't take our word for it. Here's what Phil Jackson said after the game: "We avoided a game in which we easily could of come up on the losing end of." The Jazz can hang with LA and we think tonight they do keep the game closer, giving the Lakers a scare at the minimum. Despite losing by 11, we think that game actually inspired a bit of confidence for the Jazz who know that they were within four points of the vaunted Lakers late in the fourth. Utah is 20-7 ATS in their last 27 vs. winning teams this season and they are 14-4 ATS in their last 18 vs. high-scoring teams like LA (those averaging triple figures). They are also 16-6 revenging a loss this year including 12-3 if the loss was by double-digits. We look for Utah to hang in this one. We also look for a low-scoring game in the first half. Game one had 95 first-half points yet this line is set a full 8 points above that. The Jazz are 20-9 UNDER in the first half this season to a line of 100 to 105. They are alsoe 28-17 UNDER on the road including 15-7 UNDER as a road dog. The past two seasons they are 24-10 UNDER in the first half with two days rest. This season they are 18-8 UNDER revenging a loss in which they gave up 100+ points (they come back committed to defense). The high-flying Lakers are 29-18 UNDER this season in the first half after a game in which 205+ points were scored. Utah and the first-half UNDER here.