Utah Jazz vs Los Angeles Clippers Prediction, 1/1/2026 Preview and Pick

Game: Utah Jazz vs Los Angeles Clippers

Date: Thursday, January 1, 2026

Location: Intuit Dome in Inglewood, CA

TV: FanDuel Sports Network

The Los Angeles Clippers (10-21) will take on the Utah Jazz (12-19) at Intuit Dome on Thursday.

The Jazz faced the Spurs and walked away with a win by a score of 127-114 in their last contest. Utah walked away from the contest having earned a 54.2% field goal percentage (45 of 83) and buried 17 out of their 37 3-pointers. From the charity stripe, the Jazz knocked down 20 of their 26 shots for a percentage of 76.9%. When it comes to grabbing rebounds, they collected 37 with 7 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 34 dimes in the matchup as well as creating 12 turnovers and getting 9 steals. In regard to the defense, Utah let their opponent shoot 43.4% from the floor on 43 out of 99 shooting. San Antonio earned 30 dimes and had 6 steals in this matchup. Additionally, San Antonio grabbed 46 rebounds (15 offensive, 31 defensive) and got 4 rejections. San Antonio finished the game shooting 85.7% from the charity stripe by knocking down 18 of their 21 attempts. They also made 10 of their 44 shots from 3-point land. Regarding fouls, the Jazz walked away with 19 and the Spurs accounted for 22 fouls.

Lauri Markkanen is a guy who was important in the matchup. Markkanen finished the game shooting 68.8% from the floor and dished out 1 assist. He saw the court for 34 minutes played and grabbed 5 rebounds. He notched 29 points on 11 of 16 shooting.

Get all of our NBA Picks Today

Utah will enter this matchup with a record of 12-19 on the year. They turn it over 15.9 times per contest and as a squad they are committing 22.8 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Utah is pulling in 45.2 boards per contest and is sitting with 938 assists for the season, which is 3rd in basketball in terms of passing. The Jazz are connecting on 35.6% on shots beyond the perimeter (437 of 1,227) and 80.9% from the free throw line. They have an average of 120.5 pts per contest (4th in the league) while connecting on 46.0% from the field.

On defense, the Jazz are forcing 13.6 turnovers every game and they draw 22.6 fouls. They are 29th in the league in allowing assists to the opposition with 946 relinquished this year. The Jazz defensively are allowing a FG percentage of 49.1% (1,404 of 2,857) and they relinquish 44.7 rebounds per contest as a team. They surrender 37.8% on shots from downtown while they are 30th in basketball in points per game allowed (127.1).

For their last game, the Clippers walked away with a victory by a final of 112-99 against the Pistons. In regard to how they attacked the glass, Los Angeles permitted Detroit to get 45 in all (15 offensive). They went 24.1% from downtown by hitting 7 out of 29 and ended up going 24 of 28 from the free throw line (85.7%). The Clippers allowed the Pistons to make 34 of 82 tries from the floor which had them sitting at 41.5% in this matchup. When the final whistle blew, the Clippers ended up shooting 35 for 75 from the field which gave them a rate of 46.7%. In reference to shots from distance, Los Angeles converted 14 out of 34 tries (41.2%). They were able to bury 28 of the free throws for a clip of 96.6%. The Pistons were called for 20 personal fouls in the matchup which took the Clippers to the free throw line for 29 attempts. They gave up possession 12 times, while earning 12 steals for this game. The Clippers corralled 27 defensive boards and 8 offensive rebounds for a total of 35 for this contest.

Kawhi Leonard ended up being a major contributor for the Clippers in this contest. Leonard racked up 55 points in his 39 mins on the hardwood and earned 2 assists in the game. He buried 17 of 26 in this game for a field goal rate of 65.4%, and added 11 rebounds.

Los Angeles has a record of 10-21 for the year. The Clippers are committing 20.1 personal fouls every game and they connect on 84.4% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 23.5 times per game (30th in the league) and they are losing possession via turnover 15.8 times per game. Los Angeles has tallied 3,457 points for the season (111.5 per game) and they pull in 40.5 rebounds per contest. As an offensive unit, the Clippers are connecting on 47.2% from the floor, which is 14th in the league.

The Clippers on the defensive side of the court are 12th in the league in points given up per game with 114.8. They are forcing 13.4 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 47.4% from the floor (19th in the league). The Los Angeles defense surrenders 37.6% on shots from behind the 3-point line (431 of 1,146) and opponents are knocking down 79.6% of their free throw attempts. They allow 26.1 assists and 42.5 rebounds on a nightly basis, which ranks them 12th and 9th in basketball.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Utah

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Get NBA picks on every single game, or if you want our very best bets by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.