Utah Jazz vs. Washington Wizards Prediction: Can John Collins Make Impact Against Wizards?
The Washington Wizards will host the road weary Utah Jazz on Thursday night. Can John Collins boost the Jazz to a win in D.C.? Ben Rajavuori provides his top prop pick in Jazz vs. Wizards.
Ben Rajavuori - January 25, 2024, 4:00 PM EST
5 minUtah Jazz vs. Washington Wizards Prediction: Can John Collins Make Impact Against Wizards?
The Utah Jazz continue their road trip out east tonight as they hit Washington, D.C. tonight to play the Wizards. The Jazz were on a hot streak, winning 12 of their last 14 games before a three-game skid against the Thunder, Rockets, and Pelicans over their last three games. Tonight, they have a very favorable matchup against a Wizards team that has struggled all season, and is second-worst in the league with a 7–36 record. The Jazz are eight-point favorites to beat the Wizards tonight, and we should expect lots of offense in this game. Who should we back in this game?
Jazz vs. Wizards Date, Time, and Where to Watch
- Date: January 25, 2024
- Game Time: 7:00 pm ET
- Where to Watch: NBA League Pass
Utah Jazz vs. Washington Wizards Prediction
The Utah Jazz have been an offensive machine in the last few weeks. The Jazz are averaging the highest pace of play in January, also posting the third-highest offensive rating in the league this month. Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton, and Jordan Clarkson are all averaging over 20 points in January. However, for this game, I am looking at John Collins, who is averaging 14.3 points in January. Collins is in his first year with the Jazz after spending the first six years of his career in Atlanta. Collins is averaging 13.8 points on the season and 7.6 rebounds per game. While he is listed as a power forward, he has played Center in much of the Jazz's rotations, as Lauri Markkanen is the bigger player, but typically plays as the power forward. This is a good matchup for Collins to exploit a Washington Wizard's defense that has not played well against forwards and even worse against centers. The Wizard's defense is giving up the most points per game to centers in the NBA at 27.28. They are also giving up the most rebounds to centers per game at 18.6. I think you can see where I am going with this. John Collins' points + rebounds line tonight is 19.5, and I think this is a great matchup for him to hit 20. On the season, John Collins has hit 20+ points + rebounds in 31 of his 41 games, good for a 76% hit rate. On the road, he is just as consistent, hitting this line in 16 of 21 games, good for a 76% hit rate. Center Daniel Gafford is one of the worst defenders on the Wizards. Forward Kyle Kuzma is even worse than him, and the two of them will be guarding Lauri Markkanen and John Collins. The Wizards have failed to defend the paint all season, and with Collins having a much lower line than Markkanen, I think he has the better matchup in this game. With such a fast-paced game expected between two of the top teams in the NBA in pace, John Collins should have ample opportunities to score in the paint against this porous defense and hit 20+ points + rebounds again.
Utah Jazz vs. Washington Wizards Prop Pick
Pick: John Collins Over 19.5 Points + Rebounds (-110) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
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