Wizards vs. Jazz prediction and odds for Thursday, December 22 (Don’t buy in on Washington)

The Washington Wizards snapped a long losing streak on Tuesday night against the Phoenix Suns, and they’re looking for another road win on Thursday against the Utah Jazz.

The Jazz have taken a step back since a strong start to the season, but the team dominated the Detroit Pistons earlier in the week and currently sits at 18-16 on the season, including an 11-5 record at home.

Utah may have an advantage here with Kristaps Porzingis (illness, questionable) on the injury report for the Wizards in this game.

The Jazz have been one of the best offensive teams in the league, ranking fourth in offensive rating on the season. With the Wizards regressing after a strong start, is this a buy low spot on Utah?

Here’s a look at the latest odds and my best bet for this Thursday night NBA action:

Wizards vs. Jazz odds, spread and total

Wizards vs. Jazz prediction and pick

The Wizards may have upset the Suns in their last game, but that came with Devin Booker out of the lineup.

Now, Washington is on the road again, where it has gone just 4-13 straight up this season. The Wizards are also just 6-7-2 against the spread as road dogs in the 2022-23 campaign.

The Jazz have taken a step back defensively since the start of the season (26th in defensive rating), but the team is much better overall (13th in net rating) than Washington (25th in net rating).

If Porzingis sits in this game, I will be even more concerned about Washington’s offense and ability to keep up with the Jazz’s shooting, so I’m going to take Utah to cover the 6.5 points.

Find Peter Dewey’s full betting record here.

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.