The NBA season continues on Friday. The Boston Celtics will hit the road and face off against the Utah Jazz. It's time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Celtics-Jazz prediction and pick.
These two teams have had similar starts to the season. The Boston Celtics are 12-10 and are coming off back to back wins. While the Utah Jazz are 14-7 and have also won their last two games. This should be an interesting matchup.
Here are the odds for the Celtics-Jazz Friday night NBA matchup, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Celtics-Jazz Odds
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Boston Celtics: +8.5 (-114)
Utah Jazz: -8.5 (-106)
Over: 212.5 (-110)
Under: 212.5 (-110)
Why The Celtics Could Cover The Spread
The Boston Celtics are starting to gain some momentum. After being at risk of having a losing record, the Celtics have managed to win their last two games. Boston managed to hold on by a finger tip (literally) and defeat the Philadelphia 76ers 88-87. That was a big Eastern Conference win for the Celtics and they will look to carry that same energy into this game against a tough opponent. For Boston to win this game everyone is going to need to step up, but they are more than capable. The Celtics should be able to keep this one close and maybe even come out ahead.
The leader of this Boston Celtics team is Jayson Tatum. Tatum is one of the best all around players in the league, and he is a big reason that the Celtics won on Wednesday. Against Philadelphia Tatum dropped 26 points and grabbed 16 rebounds. He had nearly 30% of the Celtics points in that game. When Boston needs offense, or really anything, they turn to Tatum and he is usually able to deliver. He should be able to have another big night against Utah, expect Tatum to come out firing and to have a big impact on the outcome of this game.
Another big piece of this Celtics team is Al Horford. This is Horford's first season as a Celtic and he has proven to be a worthy addition. Horford may not put up crazy stat lines but he has a tremendous positive impact for Boston. He nearly averages a double double, putting up over 12 points and 8 rebounds on a nightly basis. Horford may be getting up their in age but he has shown that he still has the hustle and drive to be a contributor for Boston. If Horford gets going in this game then the Celtics could really run away with it.
Why The Jazz Could Cover The Spread
The Utah Jazz are one of the best teams in the NBA. They are coming off back to back dominant victories. In their last game, on Monday, they took down the Blazers, winning by 22. Utah has been competitive against some of the top teams in the league and have managed to defeat a good number of those teams as well. The Jazz are all healthy and well rested, this is a recipe for a great game. If Utah can just come out firing and not get sloppy then this game should be theirs.
Leading the way for the Utah Jazz is Donovan Mitchell. Mitchell has cemented himself as an NBA super star. In their win over Portland he dropped 30 points in 32 minutes. Mitchell is the man in Utah. On the season he is averaging over 23 points, 5 assists, and nearly 2 steals per game. When Spida gets going there is no stopping him. A lot of this game will come down to the Mitchell vs Tatum matchup, and Mitchell will look to step up and squash the competition. Expect a big night from the Jazz star.
Another huge part of this Utah Jazz team is Rudy Gobert. Gobert does so much for the Jazz and is a big reason that they are able to close out and win games. Against the Blazers the big man had 21 points and 16 rebounds. His presence in the paint is a huge deterrent to opponents that are trying to drive and score. Gobert has consistently been one of the best defenders in the league. On the season he is averaging over 2 blocks per game which he has done for the last seven years! Gobert is a cornerstone of this Jazz team and should have a big impact in this game.
Final Celtics-Jazz Prediction & Pick
This honestly should be a good game. However, one thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is the absence of Jaylen Brown. Brown has just returned from injury, but will be sitting out on Friday. This should have a big impact on the outcome of the game in favor of Utah. The Jazz would likely win this game either way, but with the absence of Brown they should be able to do so by a wide margin. Pick the Jazz to win and cover.
FINAL CELTICS-JAZZ PICK: Utah Jazz -8.5 (-106)
FINAL CELTICS-JAZZ SCORE PREDICTION: Jazz 115 – Celtics 103
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