Utah Jazz (19-14) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (25-5) NBA Picks: Fresh off their 17-point thrashing of in-state rivals, Golden State Warriors, the Los Angeles Lakers look to begin the New Year by extending their best 30-game start since the 1999-2000 Championship season.
The Lakers will tipoff 2009 by taking on a team struggling to put a healthy starting lineup together, the Utah Jazz. This Western Conference showdown has a scheduled opening tipoff of 10:30 PM ET (7:30 PM PT), and it can be seen live on FSN-HD, and/or on Direct TV’s NBA League Pass.
According to expert odds-makers at SportsBook.com, the Los Angeles Lakers [-9½] are the Sports Odds favorites to win this contest, against the visiting Utah Jazz [+9½]. 
Los Angeles will be looking to win its 5th consecutive game as the Utah Jazz visit the STAPLES Center for the first time since last year’s playoffs.
Going into tonight’s contest, the Jazz haven’t been able to win in Downtown LA in seven consecutive tries. Their most recent defeats at the Lakers’ home came in last season’s Western Conference semifinals, as LA beat them 3 straight times. The OVER/UNDER for tonight’s Utah Jazz vs. Los Angeles Lakers NBA Picks has been tallied at a combined 208 points scored.
The Lakers currently lead the league in scoring, averaging 107.3 points, while Utah has allowed 106.7 points per game and lost its last three road games. “For us, we just wanted to move on (past the Celtics game),” said Kobe Bryant (26.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 4.2 apg). “We were ready to go. We knew what we had to do, so it was pretty easy for us to switch gears and come out and perform.”
Needless to say, Utah is going to need all the help it can get Friday night, including a healthy Deron Williams (in just 20 games this season: 15.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 9.7 apg). “It's probably the first time all season I've felt 100 percent, or close to it,” said Williams. “It's the first game I've felt like that. Tonight, I was pain-free.”
