Philadelphia 76ers at Utah Jazz Betting Preview
A pair of slumping teams that are supposed to be title contenders square off on Tuesday night when the Philadelphia 76ers visit the Utah Jazz. The contest is scheduled for a 10 pm ET opening tip at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, and will be televised on TNT.
Philadelphia is on a four-game losing streak and is 8-6 on the season. The 76ers are tied for second in the Atlantic Division standings with the New York Knicks, with both teams two games behind the first-place Brooklyn Nets.
The Jazz have lost two in a row and four of their last five. Utah is 8-5 and in second place in the Northwest Division, sitting a half-game behind the first-place Denver Nuggets.
Utah is a nine-point favorite in this game, with the over/under set at 218 points.
Star-less Sixers
Philadelphia’s losing streak coincides with All-Star center Joel Embiid being sidelined after a positive COVID-19 test. Embiid is averaging 21.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.4 blocks this season, and his interior presence is missed against some of the league’s top big men.
Forward Tobias Harris is back on the floor after his own COVID-19 troubles, and he’s putting up some Embiid-like numbers with 21.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 4.4 assists. But it’s Embiid’s size and strength in the paint that makes him the force that he is, and no one else on Philadelphia’s roster has that.
Guard Tyrese Maxey has moved into a top-scoring slot for Philadelphia in his second NBA season. Maxey has more than doubled his rookie stats, averaging 17.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game. His energy on both ends of the floor is a big reason why the 76ers have been staying in games with the absence of their other stars.
Bad Tune
The Jazz have had their struggles of late down the stretch of games, as they’ve lost three times in the last five contests by seven points or less. Utah’s defense hasn’t been up to its usual standards, with teams averaging 109.0 points against the Jazz over the last five games.
Guard Donovan Mitchell is doing his best, averaging 25.6 points per game to rank ninth in the league in scoring. Mitchell is also dishing out 5.1 assists per game and averaging a career-best 1.9 steals per contest.
The absence of Embiid from the Sixers lineup will be felt in this one, with Rudy Gobert leading the NBA in rebounding at 15.3 per contest. The Jazz usually like to bomb away from the perimeter, but having Gobert in the paint without Embiid guarding him will be a big option as well. Gobert is averaging 14.9 points on 71.7 percent shooting from the field.
Jazz Pick Up Win
Utah just has too much talent to be in such a slump right now. The team’s defense and shooting has been a bit off, but playing a shorthanded Sixers bunch at home should help improve that.
Look for the Jazz to pull away late and win and cover in this one.
