Utah Jazz vs LA Clippers Picks and Predictions for Thursday, January 1, 2026
The Utah Jazz visit the LA Clippers on Thursday night. Utah is 12-20 overall and 4-9 on the road, coming off a 129-119 home loss to Boston. Los Angeles is 11-21 overall and 7-8 at home, coming off a 131-90 home win over Sacramento. Cash a winning ticket with our free NBA picks.
Jazz vs Clippers Game Information
- Date: Thursday, January 1
- Time: 10:30 PM ET
- Location: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, CA
- TV: KJZZ-TV, Jazz+, FanDuel SN SoCal
Utah Jazz Outlook
Utah’s attack starts with Lauri Markkanen, who leads the team, averaging 27.9 points per game while shooting 47.6% from the field and 90.3% at the line. Keyonte George is the playmaker, averaging 6.8 assists per game, and Utah plays its best when he keeps the offense organized and the ball moving. Jusuf Nurkic controls the paint and leads the team in rebounds at 9.6 per game, giving Utah a chance to end defensive possessions with few second-look opportunities for opponents.
The issue for Utah is on the other end, where the defense gives up too many clean looks and too many points in bunches. Turnovers also swing momentum quickly against them, and that has shown up in recent games. Injuries: Walker Kessler and Georges Niang are out, and Kevin Love and Ace Bailey are listed as game-time decisions.
Key Stats Per Game
- Points: 120.5
- Points Allowed: 127.1
- Rebounds: 45.2
- Assists: 30.3
- Steals: 7.7
- Blocks: 3.5
- Turnovers: 15.5
LA Clippers Outlook
Kawhi Leonard leads Los Angeles, averaging 27.5 points per game and sets the tone as a go-to scorer. James Harden runs the offense and leads the team with 8.0 assists per game, and the Clippers get steady production when he attacks early and creates open threes and looks in the paint. Even with Ivica Zubac sidelined, Los Angeles has been sharp lately and has defended with more focus during its current run of five straight wins.
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Defensively, the Clippers have limited easy shots and kept teams from controlling the glass at both ends, which matters against a Utah group that wants points quickly. Injuries: Zubac, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Bradley Beal are out.
Key Stats Per Game
- Points: 111.5
- Points Allowed: 114.0
- Rebounds: 40.5
- Assists: 23.5
- Steals: 8.5
- Blocks: 4.5
- Turnovers: 14.7
Utah Jazz vs LA Clippers Prediction
Los Angeles wins this game with tighter defense, better late-game success through the play of Leonard and Harden, and Utah’s turnovers turning into points the other way. Utah will score with Markkanen, but the Jazz defense will give up too much over four quarters. Final Score Prediction: LA Clippers win and cover ATS, 124-116. The best sportsbooks are the best way to go when you are betting on the Jazz. Make sure you know about how the fans are looking on prediction markets for the Clippers with the Onyx Odds promo code. Getting the most out of your bets on Clippers vs Jazz can be done by using the Fanatics Sportsbook promo code.
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