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Victor Wembanyama is coming off arguably his worst game of the season for the San Antonio Spurs, and he’ll aim to bounce back on the road against the Utah Jazz on Thursday.
The All-Star big man shot just 5-for-21 from the field on Tuesday night against the Houston Rockets, and the Spurs blew a 16-point lead, struggling mightily in the fourth quarter. Not only did San Antonio lose the game, but it also failed to cover as a 4.5-point underdog – a brutal beat for Spurs bettors.Â
On Thursday, the Spurs are road favorites against the Jazz, who made a major comeback on Tuesday to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves and end their losing streak. The Jazz are just 15-29 this season, but they’ve been a pretty frisky team at home, winning 10 of their 22 matchups.Â
Lauri Markkanen, who has been out of the lineup for Utah with an illness, is listed as out for Thursday’s contest.Â
This is the third meeting of the season between these teams, as the Spurs won earlier this week on Jan. 19, but dropped the first matchup in late December.
Let’s take a look at the odds, players to watch in the prop market and a prediction for this Western Conference showdown.Â
Spurs vs. Jazz Odds, Spread and Total
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
Spread
Spurs -12.5 (-115)Jazz +12.5 (-105)
Moneyline
Total
236.5 (Over -112/Under -108)
Spurs vs. Jazz How to Watch
Date: Thursday, Jan. 22Time: 9:00 p.m. ESTVenue: Delta CenterHow to Watch (TV): KJZZ, FanDuel Sports Network (Local)Spurs record: 30-14Jazz record: 15-29
Spurs vs. Jazz Injury Reports
Spurs Injury Report
David Jones Garcia – outDevin Vassell – outHarrison Ingram – outStanley Umude – outLuke Kornet – questionableJeremy Sochan – questionable
Jazz Injury Report
Walker Kessler – outLauri Markkanen – outKeyonte George – questionableElijah Harkless – outGeorges Niang – outBrice Sensabaugh – questionableJohn Tonje – outOscar Tshiebwe – out
Spurs vs. Jazz Best NBA Prop Bets
Spurs Best NBA Prop Bet
Stephon Castle OVER 7.5 Assists (-115)
Earlier today, I shared in my NBA Best Bets column – Peter’s Points – why Castle is a great prop target against a struggling Utah defense:
San Antonio Spurs second-year guard Stephon Castle is having a great follow up to his Rookie of the Year campaign in the 2024-25 season.
The UConn product is averaging 16.9 points, 5.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game, and I’m eyeing him to clear his assists prop on Thursday against the Utah Jazz.Â
Utah ranks dead last in the NBA in defensive rating, opponent points per game and opponent assists per game, making this an ideal matchup for Castle to rack up dimes. The Spurs guard is averaging 7.0 assists on 12.6 potential assists per game this season, giving him a clear floor when it comes to this prop.
He also has eight or more dimes in five games in a row, including an eight-assist game against Utah earlier this month. He should be able to replicate that performance with the Spurs looking to bounce back from a loss to Houston on Tuesday.
Spurs vs. Jazz Prediction and Pick
I’m going back to the well with a pick that I took on the Jazz earlier in the week: the first quarter OVER.
Utah is 29-15 to the OVER in the first quarter this season, as it is allowing the most first quarter points per game in the NBA while scoring 29.4 points per game in the opening frame.
Now, the Jazz take on a Spurs team that is No. 5 in first quarter points per game, and these teams combined for 60 points earlier in the week in the opening quarter.
If Keyonte George (questionable) sits in this game for Utah, I’d lean towards taking the Spurs to cover (-3.5) in the first quarter, but if he plays, I like the OVER in this matchup.Â
Utah is a much better offensive team at home (10th in the NBA in offensive rating), but it is dead last in defensive rating, opponent points per game and several other defensive statistics when looking at the scope of the 2025-26 season.
This should be a high-scoring affair, especially early on Thursday.Â
Pick: First Quarter OVER 61.5 (-110 at DraftKings)
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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Find Peter Dewey’s NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on  BetStamp here.
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