The Celtics will hope the time off didn’t cool them down as they look to secure their sixth win in the last seven tries in Utah against a Jazz team that opened up its second half of the season in Washington last night.
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SCHEDULING
Due to the Wizards and Jazz’s initial meeting in D.C. getting postponed due to inclement weather, Utah was forced to open up the second half of its season on the road in the nation’s capital, and now has to travel all the way home to oppose a Celtics squad that will have had nearly 10 days to get themselves mentally and physically prepared for this game.
Boston has won and covered each of its two games played to date on 3+ days’ rest and won those games by an average score of 105.5-89.0. While Utah has fared alright in this scenario in going 6-5 SU and ATS unrested for the season, this looks to be as tough a chore as they come.
KEY MATCHUP
The main matchup to watch here is the Celtics No. 4 ranked scoring offense running up against Utah’s No. 3 ranked scoring defense that’s given up an average of just 96.4 points per game on 44.6 percent shooting from the field.
Boston’s offense was en fuego heading into the break surpassing the century mark five straight times and dropping 139 on the Clippers in overtime last time out. The Jazz defense did falter in its final two road games to close the first half of the season allowing an average of 109.5 PPG versus the Pelicans and Mavericks, but hasn’t allowed an opponent to hit the century mark the previous seven times it suited up in front of the hometown faithful.
The under has cashed at a 16-10-1 clip in their home games this season, so if the defense continues to excel in front of the home crowd, it would go a long way in limiting a red hot Boston offense and give the team an excellent shot of winning the game.
LIVE BETTING SCENARIO
Utah has some bothersome injuries to deal with right now so its depth might take a hit right out of the break. Make it a point to see if Trey Burke and Alec Burks are able to suit up for this one.
The former will likely be a go so his 11.8 PPG should be in the lineup, but Alec Burks and his 14+ PPG average is listed as questionable with the ankle injury that’s kept him out of action since the end of December.
He’s nearing a return to action, but even if he does go, it’s hard to forecast how effective he’ll be.
Regardless, Boston is playing extremely well right now so it will all boil down to how well the Jazz defense is able to withstand the guard duo of Avery Bradley and Isaiah Thomas who were scorching hot leading up to the All Star break.
If the duo continues to knock down their open shots and get the Celtics bigs on the stat sheet, it’s going to be very tough for Utah to win this game. If not and Utah is able to get some of the Celtics starters into foul trouble, this will be anyone’s game.
I can’t help but think fatigue will play a role in this one late for the home team. Should Utah have a comfy lead heading into the 4th quarter, I’d snag Boston plus the points on the readjusted live betting line and expect it to have more gas in the tank to see this one all the way through.
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Don’t miss out on getting paid because you couldn’t bet, click here and deposit at BookMaker now! The game between the Boston Celtics and Utah Jazz will go down Friday, February 19, 2016, at 10:30 p.m. ET at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN.
