The NBA Playoffs kicks off in earnest on Saturday, with the first game on the schedule featuring the Utah Jazz and Dallas Mavericks. Utah is on the road for this game, but they have an advantage in the injury department as Dallas is missing its best player for this contest. In our NBA predictions for Saturday, we look at Jazz vs Mavericks in what could be the most interesting series in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
Jazz vs Mavericks BetMGM Sportsbook Promo Code
New bettors at BetMGM can bet $10 and win $200 if a three is made in this Jazz vs Mavericks game!
New bettors at BetMGM can take advantage of the site’s welcome bonus to get 20/1 odds when betting on Jazz vs Mavericks. Players can wager $10 on either team to win this matchup in the Western Conference, and get $200 in free bets as long as one team makes a three-point shot. With these being two of the best three-point shooting teams in the NBA, this game is all but guaranteed to pay out with this promotion.
Jazz vs Mavericks Game 1 Betting Pick
This game will be played at 1:00 PM ET at American Airlines Center on Saturday, April 16, 2022.
Why Bet The Jazz:
✅ The main story in this game is the loss of Luka Doncic, who is deemed unlikely to play in Game 1 of this series for the Mavericks. Doncic should be able to come back later in the series, but his absence in Game 1 will really impact what Dallas can do on the offensive end of the floor. The Jazz and their three-point shooting will prove too much for the depleted Mavs to keep up with.
✅ This is the healthiest that the Utah Jazz have been all season. While Donovan Mitchell is listed as day to day on the injury report, he is expected to play, while Rudy Gobert and the rest of the team’s key contributors are good to go. That health advantage will be especially impactful in a game where the Mavericks are without their number one weapon.
Gambling Problem? Call or TEXT 1-800-Gambler 21+
✅ From a matchup perspective, things are so much easier on the guards of the Jazz with Doncic out. The combination of size and shooting from Doncic does not give the Jazz a natural matchup for him. Without him, the Jazz are able to play a more normal set of defensive matchups, which should allow them to focus more on shooting the lights out from three-point range.
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz come into the NBA Playoffs as the fifth seed in the Western Conference, a far cry from a season ago where they claimed the top spot in the West after the regular season. But after last season’s failure in the second round of the playoffs, the Jazz are less concerned with their performance in the regular season, and more concerned with how they do in the playoffs themselves. Their first test comes against a Mavericks team that Utah will need to shoot well against to advance past the first round.
In Game 1 of this series, the Jazz do not need to worry about defending Luka Doncic. Instead, they will need to stay attached to shooters like Dorian Finney-Smith and Maxi Kleber, while limiting the creativity of Jalen Brunson. While the Jazz should have an easier game on defense on Saturday than they would if Doncic was playing, they will still need to be diligent about guarding those who are on the floor for Dallas.
Dallas Mavericks
Fourth seeded Dallas will not have its best player on the floor for this game, but they still have plenty of talent available to them. Even with Luka Doncic sidelined, the Mavs still have a quality point guard option in Jalen Brunson, and one of the best defenses in the NBA. That defense will be tested against a Jazz team that can beat opposing defenses in a number of ways.
What makes the Jazz so dangerous to defenses is that they can shoot the three as well as virtually any team in the NBA, and they have a player in Gobert who can make rim runs and clean the offensive glass. Combine those things with a slasher like Donovan Mitchell, and the Jazz have all of the tools to vanquish opposing defenses. But Dallas has proven throughout this season that they are capable of stopping the best teams in the league, and will need to do so again to protect their home court in Game 1.