Jazz Visit Boston Looking to End Road Woes

League-leading Utah (28-10 SU, 25-13 ATS) has been vulnerable away from Salt Lake City, losing five of its last six as the visitor. Those struggles could continue in Boston, where the Celtics (20-18, 18-20) have won five straight on their home court. Utah has won just three of its last 12 visits to Beantown.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

The Jazz were 5.5-point home favorites six weeks ago in Salt Lake City when they drilled the Celtics 122-108.

Utah News & Notes

Despite getting a franchise-record 28 rebounds from Rudy Gobert, the Jazz lost for the fifth time in their last six road games Sunday, getting blown out 131-119 by Golden State. Other than Gobert, Utah didn’t do much on the defensive end and allowed the Warriors to shoot 56.2 percent from the field.

Defensive issues are quickly becoming the norm for the Jazz, particularly when they’re on the road. Utah has allowed at least 124 points in three consecutive road games and four of its last five, going OVER the total in each of those contests. Utah’s only road win over the past month came against the Magic.

Donovan Mitchell, Mike Conley and Jordan Clarkson each scored at least 20 points for the Jazz against Golden State, but Bojan Bogdanovic managed just nine points on 2-of-9 shooting. The veteran small forward has now been held under his season scoring average in seven of his last 10 games.

Boston News & Notes

The Celtics’ top stars enjoyed an easy night Sunday in Houston as Boston routed the Rockets 134-107. Boston scored at least 28 points in every quarter and held a 32-point advantage going into the fourth, allowing the trio of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Kemba Walker to average less than 27 minutes of playing time.

Tatum and Brown did just fine in their limited time on the court, combining for 47 points on 18-of-31 shooting from the floor as Boston went OVER the total for the eighth time in its last 11 games.

However, the brightest star for the Celtics on Sunday was a surprise as Robert Williams was a perfect 7-for-7 from the field, scoring 16 points and adding 13 rebounds and three blocks in just 19 minutes of action. Williams has recorded at least three blocks in four consecutive games and scored in double figures in four of his last six.

Guard Marcus Smart also had a light night of work against the Rockets, playing just 19 minutes in his second game back from a calf strain that kept him out for 18 games. Smart played 21 minutes in his return last Thursday against Brooklyn and remains on a minutes restriction.

Betting Pick: Celtics +4.5

Boston has covered 14 of its last 19 games as a home underdog, while Utah has just two road wins over teams with winning records since mid-January.