The Philadelphia 76ers and Utah Jazz will play on Thursday night in an inter-conference matchup. It's time to continue our NBA odds series with a Jazz-76ers prediction and pick.
The 76ers and Jazz will play on Thursday night in a matchup between two of the NBA's best centers. Rudy Gobert and Joel Embiid are very different players but each are among the best big man in the game today. Embiid is finding his rhythm after spending time in health and safety protocol earlier in the season. The big man had 32 points and eight rebounds as the 76ers picked up their fourth win in their last five games Wednesday vs. the Charlotte Hornets. The Jazz have won eight of their last ten games and they come into Thursday as a road favorite over the Sixers.
Here are the Jazz-76ers odds for this Thursday NBA matchup, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Jazz-76ers odds
Utah Jazz -3.5 (-108)
Philadelphia 76ers +3.5 (-112)
Over 216.5 (-110)
Under 216.5 (-110)
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Why The Jazz Can Cover The Spread
Article Continues BelowThe Jazz have won five in a row and come into this one on a road back-to-back after blowing out the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday. The Sixers also played on the road on Wednesday, so no rest edge here for either side. Utah has been a very good road club this season, going 8-3 away from home so far this season. Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert each help fuel the Jazz in different ways, and the supporting cast of Joe Ingles, Bojan Bogdanovic, Mike Conley and others have the Jazz looking like a strong contender in the West.
Utah should have a good chance to cover and win as road favorites vs. the 76ers on Thursday, as they have a little more depth than Philadelphia. This will be an interesting game to track in terms of injury reports on each side as both teams are on the back-to-back. Definitely check the final status of key players before laying points with the Jazz in this one.
Why The 76ers Can Cover The Spread
The injury reports will obviously be huge for the 76ers as well, notably concerning Joel Embiid. The 76ers got a hard-fought win in Charlotte on Wednesday, so it's possible some guys may be unable to go just 24 hours later after traveling back to Philadelphia. Embiid's final status is obviously a huge factor in this one, so we'll need to know that he's in before placing any bets on the 76ers. If he's in, the 76ers always have a good shot to cover and win on their home floor. Philadelphia is looking for their fourth straight win and fifth in their last six games, all since Embiid has returned to the lineup.
The 76ers should continue to rise up the Eastern Conference standings as long as Embiid keeps playing, so they are a solid play with the points at home on Thursday night.
Final Jazz-76ers Prediction & Pick
This should be a tight game if all the usual suspects suit up. Embiid and Gobert have had some classic battles in the past. Take the 76ers and the points on Thursday, IF Joel Embiid is in. If Embiid is ruled out this spread likely increases a substantial amount and this becomes an entirely different game.
Final Jazz-76ers Prediction & Pick: 76ers +3.5 (-112)