Jazz vs Nets Picks and Prediction – 12/22/2024

In Saturday night NBA action, the Utah Jazz will travel to the Barclays Center to square off against the Brooklyn Nets. For other NBA action see our NBA Predictions. The Jazz (6-20) have dropped eight of their last ten games and own the second worst overall record in the Western Conference. On Thursday, Utah jumped out to a 29 point lead after one quarter and connected on 20-for-40 from long distance during a 126-119 road victory against Detroit. 

Utah G Collin Sexton tallied a team-high 30 points on 9-for-15 shooting and committed an alarming ten turnovers. Keyonte George knocked down 7-for-13 from the three-point line and finished with 28 points. All-Star F Lauri Markkanen added 27 points and 14 rebounds for the Jazz.

The Brooklyn Nets are two games below .500 at home and are sitting in tenth place in the Eastern Conference standings. The Nets (11-16) rank near the bottom of the league in defensive efficiency and are surrendering a shade below 115 points per contest. On Thursday, Brooklyn outscored Toronto by 13 points over the final 12 minutes to earn a 101-94 road victory. 

Brooklyn F Cameron Johnson led all scorers with 33 points (9-15 FG), ten rebounds, and six assists. Ben Simmons contributed 12 points, seven assists, and five rebounds. Noah Clowney added 11 points and nine rebounds off the bench for the Nets, who missed 30 of 39 three-point attempts. 

Brooklyn leading scorer Cam Thomas is recovering from a hamstring injury and will be re-evaluated this week. These two teams rank in the bottom four of the league in defensive efficiency, so the over is worth a look. The stronger play is on the Nets to win at home. Final Score Prediction, Brooklyn Nets win 116-107.