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The Philadelphia 76ers and Utah Jazz meet for the first time this season in a showdown in Salt Lake City. It’s time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Sixers-Jazz prediction and pick.
The Sixers hold an overall record of 18-9 and are 14-11-2 against the spread. Philadelphia is coming off a loss to the Phoenix Suns.
The Jazz hold the best record in the league at 22-5, and they are 20-6-1 against the spread. In Utah’s most recent game, they defeated the Miami Heat.
Here’s how sportsbooks have set the opening Sixers-Jazz odds.
NBA Odds: Sixers-Jazz Odds
Philadelphia 76ers +7.5 (-110)
Utah Jazz -7.5 (-110)
Over 226 Points (-105)
Under 226 Points (-115)
Why The Jazz Could Cover The Spread
If anyone told you the Jazz would be the best team in the league nearing the halfway mark of the season, you probably would've laughed at them.
Utah has shocked the league with an elite 3-point shooting unit and lockdown defense. Both are bad news for opponents, but the 3-point shooting prowess is the main problem for the Sixers on Monday.
The Jazz lead the league in 3-pointers made and attempted, and they're fourth in percentage (39.5%). Utah boasts five shooters who are shooting above average from deep on at least five attempts a game.
Their overall defense has been solid, but the Sixers haven't been great at defending the 3-line. They are in the bottom half of the league in opponent 3-point percentage and 3-pointers allowed.
Additionally, these two teams are trending in different directions. The Jazz have won six straight and covered in all of them.
On the other hand, the Sixers' road problems are popping up again from last year. Philly is only 5-7-2 against the spread when away from Philadelphia, compared to 9-4 when at home. The Sixers are currently on a two-game losing streak, both of them on the road.
As trends go, the numbers don't look too good for Philly.
Why The Sixers Could Cover The Spread
The Sixers have been in a slump of late, but there's no denying they are still an elite team.
Before this mini-losing streak, the Sixers were nearly unbeatable when Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons were healthy.
Philadelphia had a total of one loss with both stars healthy, and then lost back-to-back matchups on the road. It's hard to see them losing three in a row, or at least failing to cover a spread of this size.
Before we get ahead of ourselves, Joel Embiid is questionable to play.
Assuming the early-season MVP candidate suits up for this huge matchup, Philadelphia should, at the very least, be able to make this a competitive game.
Embiid is the key for Philadelphia. Against a Jazz defense that has been stingy at the 3-point line, the Sixers will need paint buckets badly. There is no one on the team better at getting 'em than Embiid.
If Embiid plays, the Sixers will rely heavily on the big man to win his matchup against Rudy Gobert. As long as the Cameroonian big man can get his usual amount of touches down low, I like the Sixers to keep this game close.
Final Sixers-Jazz Prediction & Pick
While the point spread seems too high for two great teams, I can't back Philly with Joel Embiid questionable at the moment. If he plays, this should be a much closer game than eight points. I'll wait it out until Embiid's status is announced and make a play from there. If Embiid plays, I'll back the Sixers to at least make it close. If he doesn't, I'll take Utah to win by a healthy margin.
FINAL PICK:
If Embiid is active: PHI +5.5 or higher
If Embiid is inactive: UTA -8.5 or lower
