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• Golden State Warriors vs. Utah Jazz
• Thursday, Feb. 15 at 9 p.m. ET
• Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah
We are almost getting ready for the NBA All-Star Weekend, but before things arrive, there’s still one more big night of basketball for fans to enjoy. With that said, we’re going to see the Golden State Warriors and Utah Jazz face off in what should be a great contest. Both these teams haven’t lived up to the hype, but they’re hoping that they can get back on track for the second half of the campaign. Entering this game, though, the Warriors are underdogs against the Jazz in a Thursday night battle.
Who will come out on top? It indeed has been a rough season for both sides. Starting with the Jazz, they are currently in 11th place in the Western Conference standings, which is not what a lot of people expected. This squad has a lot of young talent, but they haven’t been able to stay consistent on both ends of the floor. That simply can’t be the case if they want to take down Golden State this week. It’s going to be a tough task as it is.
| Utah vs. Golden State odds |  |  |  |
| Jazz to win | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Warriors to win | +125 | +125 | +125 |
| Over 220 points | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Under 220 points | -110 | -110 | -110 |
Meanwhile for the Warriors, this team was expected to push for an NBA Finals title this season, but they are 26-25 on the year. Who would have thought that Golden State would be just one game over .500 at this point in the year? Steph Curry and Klay Thompson have taken a step back, while Draymond Green went through his long-term suspension. This team simply can’t seem to get into any kind of a rhythm.
According to the best-rated sportsbooks, which includes the reliable Bovada review, the Jazz hold -110 NBA betting odds for this showdown. Golden State, with +125 NBA betting odds, will have an upset in mind. If Golden State can take down Utah on the road leading up to the ASG break, it will be massive from a confidence perspective. We’re hoping that will be the case. We’re going with the Warriors as our pick.
Warriors reportedly tried to trade for LeBron James this month
As Golden State gets ready for this big-time showdown with the Jazz, headlines are being made as the Warriors reportedly tried to trade for LeBron James this month. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne, the Warriors had reached out to the Lakers ahead of the trade deadline to pitch them the idea of a move that would team up James with Curry. That would no doubt turn the NBA upside down.
It’s unclear at this time what kind of trade package would have been put together, but you’ve got to figure multiple NBA Draft picks would be included, plus potentially Thompson. The former Washington State superstar is not playing at the level we’re used to, but James would have been a monster upgrade. In the end, the Lakers didn’t want to part ways with James and he’ll stay with the team until the rest of the season at least.
“The Warriors were eager to present a package deal to L.A., but neither the Lakers nor James were willing to explore a potential blockbuster,” Wojnarowski and Shelburne reported early Wednesday morning about this potential deal. “Even at 39 years old, James is still playing at an All-NBA level that stirred the Warriors’ imagination about his ability to extend the window of the franchise’s fading dynasty.”
Per this report, James was presented with the possibility of being moved to Golden State, but he himself decided that he wanted to stay put. Both the Lakers and Warriors haven’t played well throughout the first part of the year, but don’t forget that L.A. was able to win the in-season tournament. James still has dreams of winning another NBA Finals title and he’ll look to do that with the Lakers this spring, not Golden State.
The Warriors have concerning NBA Finals betting odds
With the second half of the season almost here, the Warriors have concerning NBA Finals betting odds and it sure has a lot of people talking. Again, the Warriors were expected to push for another title this year, but as you’ve been able to notice, this is not the same team that won multiple championships in a short matter of time.
Instead, the star players for Golden State are starting to look a bit older and Steve Kerr’s future as head coach of this team feels like it’s a bit up in the air. There’s a good chance that we see the Warriors enter a rebuild sooner rather than later and who knows if Kerr is even going to want to be a part of that.
With Golden State right around the .500 mark, there’s no question that they’re going to have to play better if they want to lock in a guaranteed playoff spot and improve their NBA Finals betting odds. If something happens and they miss out on the action, then people are going to be blasting this side for a while. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the year goes for the Warriors, but they’ve got to pick up the pace.
