After pulling off a miraculous comeback vs the Suns last night, the Boston Celtics will look to get another win under their belt when they face the Utah Jazz. The Celtics are the midst of a five-game road trip and have dropped 13 of their last 18 games on road dating back to last season. The Jazz, on the other hand, aims to get their second home win of the year after taking down the Mavs in their last contest.
The Jazz opened as 3.5-point favorites (since moved to 6) with a total of 208.5 (since moved to 206).
- The Jazz are 2-5 SU and 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games at home.
- Utah ranks 27th in opponent field goal percentage (47 percent).
- The OVER has hit in 4 of the Celtics’ last five games.
Home Cooking has Been Poor for the Jazz this Season
Although the name of Vivint Smart Home Arena may not sound intimidating, Utah’s home court has typically been a tough place to play for the opposition. Well, this season the Jazz’s advantage hasn’t been as evident as Utah has dropped four of its first five home this season with the only win coming from their most recent game vs the Mavs.
The Jazz’s four home losses were by an average of 8 points per game and they’ve allowed teams to average 47 percent from the field which ranks 27th in the NBA. Dating back to last season, Utah is now 2-5 SU and 1-6 ATS in their last seven games in Salt Lake City.
Celtics Are Burning Bettors In Road Games
Usually, in order to be considered a contender in the NBA, you have to take care of business in road games and finish with a record of .500 or better. Anyone who tries to tell you that the Celtics aren’t contenders is full of it but they may have a point when discussing their performance away from TD Garden. The C’s are 4-16 SU and 8-12 ATS in their last 20 road games as underdogs and are 0-2 SU and ATS this season as pups. Kyrie Irving is also not expected to play tonight which may hamper their chances.
One of the key reasons for the road woes is scoring as Boston ranks 21st in points per road game and 26th in shot attempts which means if they don’t shoot a high percentage from the field, their pace can actually work against them. I expect Boston to shoot well enough to stay in the game like last night vs the Suns but without Irving and how its performed on the road, it could be an uphill battle for as the Celtics to escape with a victory.
Celtics’ Game Uncharacteristically Going OVER
The total opened at 208.5 (since dropped 206) and the OVER may be the best option at that figure. The OVER has hit in four of the Celtics’ last five games with an average combined score of 218.6. The Jazz also have a penchant for being involved in games surpassing the total as the OVER has hit in eight of their 11 games this season with an average combined score of 220 points per game.
My Pick Is…
To take the OVER. Neither of these teams’ defenses has been playing up to snuff and I think the Jazz allow too many points to think this game will be a walk-it-up, half-court game against a Celtics team coming off an overtime game last night.
