The Philadelphia 76ers (5-1) and the Utah Jazz (4-3) will meet in a cross-conference clash. The tip is set for 9:00 PM ET and will be televised on FSN. The 76ers presently own a four-game win and cover streak over the Jazz dating back to 2017. In the most recent incident, the Sixers upset the Notes in Salt Lake City last December, defeating the Jazz 114-97 despite closing as a 4.5-point underdog.
Philadelphia 76ers at Utah Jazz Key Injury Concerns
The Jazz will be bare in their Point Guard depth as both Emmanuel Mudiay and Dante Exum will not be available for Utah for this match-up. For Philadelphia, the return of Center Joel Embiid will be welcomed after he served a two-game suspension due to a scuffle with Minnesota Center Karl-Anthony Townes, a week ago.
Philadelphia 76ers at Utah Jazz Overview
Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers saw a five-game losing streak come to an end on the road on Monday when they traveled to the desert to square off with the searing-hot Phoenix Suns. The Sixers were defeated by the Suns 114-109, failing to cover as a one-point favorite.
Utah Jazz
The Jazz enters into this match-up on a two-game losing streak. Both defeats were on the road, first against a winless Sacramento and then most recently in a 105-94 loss in the City of Angels against the Clippers on Sunday. Over this span, the Jazz has also gone 0-2 ATS.
Reasons To Avoid Philadelphia
Upon reading around on some of the analyses of this game, many pundits have emphasized Joel Embiid’s return as being the instrumental factor in determining the outcome of this match. As a result, we have seen a lot of respect given to the dog in this contest, and that leads me to believe that the Jazz may actually be short-sold here. The Cameroonian Crusher is a tremendous athlete and perhaps the best Center in the NBA. However, I am hard-pressed to see his presence being instrumental in this game to move the dial that much to get the Sixers over the hump. Defensively, the Sixers are at a considerable disadvantage as they give up 107.3 points per game (13th overall) compared to Utah, who surrenders a stingy 95.6 points per match (the best in the NBA). I am more inclined to lay a basket with the NBA’s best defense, who also bodes a significant home-court advantage.
Reasons To Back Utah
On the offensive side of the ball, the Jazz can very quickly go tit-for-tat with the Sixers. Philly shoots 46.5% from the field (7th in the NBA), while Utah malingers just .2% behind them at 46.3% overall (10th overall). Once again, it boils down to how the opposition shoots against them. The Sixers allow opponents to shoot 46.9% from the field against them (21st overall) while, once again, Utah is one of the best in undermining the shooting operations of opponents as they hit just 41.7% of their field goals against the Notes (4th in the NBA). Utah’s defense can very well steer the outcome of this match.
- Get more details: 76ers at Jazz NBA Match-up Stats
