The NBA is back in action after the pause because of the COVID-19 Pandemic. And the Utah Jazz will face the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center, New Orleans
Utah Jazz Form
The Jazz had some serious challenges during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic for the NBA as Gobert was the first player to test positive. After that, the league was paused until now.
As for this game, the Jazz will be without their three-pointer Bojan Bogdanovic. The Croatian has been suffering from a wrist injury all season long. And after the surgery in May, the prognosis is that he will be out until the end of the season.
The Jazz is placed on the 4th spot in the Western Conference with 8.5 games behind the leaders, the L.A Lakers.
Additionally, they are 1.5 games behind the Nuggets for the top spot in the Northwest Division.
On the offensive side of the game, the Jazz is scoring an average of 111 points per game. And that record is enough for the 17th spot in the league in scoring. They also have an average of 45.1 boards per night combined with 22.2 assists a night.
On the defensive side of the game, the Jazz is conceding an average of 107.9 points per game which is the 9th defensive record in the league.
New Orleans Pelicans Form
The Pelicans will be back playing after a solid win in the game against the Timberwolves before the pause.
Now, this New Orleans team will be aiming to get into the playoffs and they have a good chance for that this season. They are ninth in the Western Conference at the moment. But they are only 3.5 games behind the Grizzlies. Therefore, they have a great chance to play in the postseason.
The Pelicans offensive average stands at 116.2 points per game which is the 4th record in the league in scoring. Additionally, New Orleans has a total of 47 boards per game and 27 dimes per night.
Defensively, the Pelicans allow their opponents an average of 117 points per game. And that is the 27th defensive record in the NBA this season. Brandon Ingram leads the line with an average of 24.3 points per night.
Prediction
This will be the first game after the interruption of the league. The Jazz are strong offensively and the Pelicans had their fair share of defensive worries this season. Also, the extended pause might impact both teams and the pace might be slower. However, I expect that the Jazz will steal the win in this one in a tight contest.
My Free Pick & Prediction for Utah Jazz vs. New Orleans Pelicans 07/30/2020 is: take the Utah Jazz (Moneyline)
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