by Chuck Sommers
Thursday, Dec 09, 2021
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Venue: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
Where to watch: NBA TV
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Jazz -3.5
BetMGM: Jazz -3.5
Caesars: Jazz -3
Season record
Jazz: 17-7 (3rd place, Western Conference)
76ers: 14-11 (6th place, Eastern Conference)
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Jazz - 76ers preview and analysis
Recent form
Jazz: won five straight; won 136-104 at Timberwolves on Wednesday
76ers: won three straight; won 110-106 at Hornets on Wednesday
Give me the Utah Jazz in this battle of the bigs against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday.
I would normally take the Jazz under normal circumstances. They're third in the Western Conference not by accident and come in on a five-game winning streak.
But this game is tough to call because both teams are playing on the second night of a back to back. Utah is coming off a 32-point win against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, while the Sixers had to withstand a tough challenge from the Charlotte Hornets, only winning by four.
Joel Embiid had 32 points and eight rebounds, and Seth Curry's 23 points helped pace Philly's offense in a game it needed for its third straight win and second in as many days against Charlotte.
"It's tough to beat the same team twice no matter what the situation is," 76ers coach Doc Rivers said. "We did that. I thought we just hung in there. I thought there were times where we could've pulled away and there was a turnover or a missed defensive assignment here or there. But I will take the win."
The Sixers have found ways to rack up wins as of late but the books have been the struggle. Philadelphia is 2-5 against the spread in its last seven including not covering the games against Charlotte; the Sixers were 7.5 and 6.5 point favorites with wins by three and four points, respectively.
But the Hornets were without five rotation players due to health and safety protocols, including LaMelo Ball. Safe to say the Sixers, while getting wins, have yet to show how impressive they are. They're 3-point dogs tonight against Utah, which rode a dominant second half to beat Minnesota. The Jazz led by one at halftime but outscored Minnesota 76-45 in the final 24 minutes.
Donovan Mitchell had a game-high 36-points on 14 of 23, and Utah made 25 3-pointers.
"This was a good win for us," Mitchell said. "This is a road trip I think we're all trying to see where we're at and continue to build. We've got a big one tomorrow."
The Jazz haven't been any better on the books despite winning five straight. Utah is 3-2 against the spread in the last five, but both losses have been close; 8-point favorites in a 7-point win against Boston, and 5-point favorites in a 1-point win against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Prediction
Normally, the road team playing the SEGABABA is a death wish, but with the home team also in the same state and not dealing with any better of a situation, better team comes out strong in this one. Give me Utah because the Jazz are not the Hornets. Jazz by 10
Betting trends
The Jazz are 2-5 against the spread in their last seven as a favorite.
The Jazz are 1-4 ATS in their last five road games, as well as their last five as a road favorite.
The 76ers are 4-10-1 ATS in their last 15.
The 76ers are 0-5 ATS in their last five at home.
Projected starting lineup
Jazz:
PG: Mike Conley
SG: Donovan Mitchell
SF: Bojan Bogdanovic
PF: Royce O’Neal
C: Rudy Gobert
SF: Bojan Bogdanovic
PF: Royce O’Neal
C: Rudy Gobert
76ers:
PG: Tyrese Maxey
SG: Seth Curry
SF: Danny Green
PF: Tobias Harris
C: Joel Embiid
Statistical leaders
Jazz:
Points: Donovan Mitchell – 24.7
Rebounds: Rudy Gobert – 14.5
Assists: Mike Conley – 5.4
76ers:
Points: Joel Embiid – 24.5
Rebounds: Joel Embiid – 11.1
Assists: Tyrese Maxey – 4.8
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
