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The NBA regular season continues with games on Wednesday. The Cleveland Cavaliers will travel to take on the Utah Jazz. It's time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Cavaliers-Jazz prediction and pick.
These two teams have had somewhat similar starts to the season. The Cleveland Cavaliers are 23-18 and are coming off a very narrow victory. While the Utah Jazz are 28-13 and have lost their last three games. This should be a good game between two competitive teams.
Here are the Cavaliers-Jazz NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Cavaliers-Jazz Odds
Cleveland Cavaliers: +5.5 (-110)
Utah Jazz: -5.5 (-110)
Over: 223 (-110)
Under: 223 (-110)
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Why The Cavaliers Could Cover The Spread
The Cleveland Cavaliers have had a solid start to the season. They started off extremely well, but COVID and injuries have proved problematic for the Cavs. Through the first half of the season, they have managed to win 23 games and lose 18. Cleveland is coming off a one-point victory over the Sacramento Kings. The Cavs looked okay in that game but will need to play much better if they want to take down Utah. The Jazz are a tough opponent, but if Cleveland can improve on their last match then they should be able to make this game competitive.
Cleveland was ahead for the whole first half of their game against the Kings. The Cavs were in control, but sloppy second-half play allowed the Kings to creep back into the game. One area Cleveland needs to improve in is their three-point shooting. The Cavs went 10 for 34 from beyond the arc. Additionally, turnovers were problematic for Cleveland. The Cavs turned over the ball 16 times compared to only 10 turnovers from the Kings. These turnovers are what allowed the Kings to stay in the game and prevented Cleveland from pulling ahead. If they can make these minor tweaks then they could come out ahead on Wednesday.
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While both injuries and COVID are of big concern across the league, the Cavaliers are relatively unaffected. Cleveland currently only has three players listed on their injury report. None of the players on the injury report are new additions, so this Cavs team is already used to playing without those guys. Cleveland struggled with unavailable players earlier in the season, but are now at nearly full health. If the Cavs can come together on Wednesday then they could definitely pull off this upset.
Why The Jazz Could Cover The Spread
The Utah Jazz have been a good team this season. Through the first half of the year, they have managed to win 28 games and lose only 13. However, the Jazz have been struggling lately, losing their last three games. Their most recent defeat came at the hands of the Detroit Pistons by 10. That loss was truly shocking and will hopefully help this Jazz team get back on track. While injuries and COVID played a role in that loss, the Jazz should have still been able to win or at least make it a closer game than it was. If Utah wants to bounce back on Wednesday they will need to play better than they did against Detroit.
The Jazz actually had a solid all-around game against the Pistons, but Detroit just managed to turn things up and Utah was unable to compete. The biggest reason for Utah's loss was Detroit's three-point shooting. The Pistons made 19 of their 37 three-pointers. When a team is shooting over 50% from beyond the arc it is tough to compete. The Jazz will need to step up on the defensive end if they want to keep Cleveland in check. The Jazz are more than capable of winning this game, but they will need to kick things up a notch.
Unlike the Cavs, the Jazz are currently dealing with multiple injured and unavailable players. Utah has seven players listed on their injury report. Of the injured players only one, Joe Ingles, is listed as questionable for Wednesday's match. Headlining the unavailable players is Rudy Gobert. The Jazz big man entered the league's health and safety protocols on January sixth and remains out. Utah's biggest opponent in this match isn't the Cavs, rather they will need to overcome their injuries if they want to win.
Final Cavaliers-Jazz Prediction & Pick
This could be an interesting game. The Cavaliers are healthy but showed signs of struggle in their last game. Utah is currently dealing with injuries and have also struggled. This game could just come down to who is willing to battle harder. Cleveland seems like the logical pick for this match. The Cavs have a healthy roster and if they find their groove in this match they could end up winning handily. Pick Cleveland to win and cover.
FINAL CAVALIERS-JAZZ PICK: Cleveland Cavaliers +5.5 (-110)
FINAL CAVALIERS-JAZZ SCORE PREDICTION: Cavaliers 118 – Jazz 109
