What felt like a quirky start to the season has turned into an eye-opening run for the upstart Jazz, who are still being undervalued ahead of Tuesday’s NBA matchup with the Knicks in Salt Lake City.
No Rudy Gobert, no Donovan Mitchell, no problem for Utah, which has reinvented itself as a run-and-gun team with six players averaging at least 10 points per game. All six attempt at least three 3-pointers per game, which is key for this group. The Jazz rank fourth in such attempts per game (39.8) and ninth in 3-point percentage (37 percent), powering the fourth-most efficient offense in the NBA through 15 games.
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Even without a three-time Defensive Player of the Year winner in Gobert, the Jazz have also allowed the eighth-fewest points per 100 possessions (110.2). That’s virtually identical to the mark set by last year’s team, which finished 10th in defensive rating (110.0). They’ve done so by controlling the perimeter, limiting opponents to the second-fewest 3-point attempts per game (30.3) and second-lowest 3-point percentage (32.5%) entering the week.
All of that should concern the Knicks, who rank ninth in 3-point attempts (35.5) and 29th in percentage (32.5%) across their first 13 games. Leading scorer Julius Randle hasn’t been much better inside, shooting worse than 50 percent in six of his last nine games amid a 3-6 run for the Knicks with six double-digit losses.
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At some point, the Jazz (10-5 against the spread) may cool off from their red-hot run to start the season. Don’t expect that to come on Tuesday, though.
Knicks vs. Jazz pick
Jazz -4.5 (BetMGM)