The Cavaliers and Jazz are both playing the second leg of a back-to-back when they square off in Salt Lake City on Monday night. Cleveland looks to put the finishing touches on a sweep of its four-game road trip out West. The Cavs have been solid lately in the second game of back-to-backs going 8-1 SU and 6-2-1 ATS in their last nine such games.
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TRAVEL
Before Cleveland embarked on its four-game road trip that included spending three nights in Southern California, LeBron James met with his teammates at varying times to stress the importance of carrying themselves the right way in Los Angeles. His mates got the message. At a crucial juncture of the season in which the Cavs are trying to establish focus and consistency before the playoffs, the NBA schedule called for them to spend a few days in LA. They defeated the Lakers on Thursday in the second of a back-to-back, and had to hang around for Sunday’s matinee against the Clips. It had the makings of a trap game, but the Cavs played flawlessly in a thorough victory
Once again the Jazz are making a push to get back in the Western Conference playoff picture. A win over Houston on Feb. 23 temporarily moved them into the eighth spot, but the Jazz followed that win with five straight losses and dropped seven of eight before a victory over Washington on Friday. Utah made it two straight with Sunday’s win at Sacramento. The Jazz are 3-1 SU and ATS when playing the second game of a back-to-back at home, and are 8-6 SU and ATS overall.
INJURIES
Cavs forward Kevin Love returned to the lineup Sunday after missing the previous game with a knee sprain. Coach Tyronn Lue said he plans on playing all his starters Monday night in Utah, despite being the second of a back-to-back. We all know how forthcoming coaches are about divulging information.
Rodney Hood’s back, which caused him to sit out Utah’s game against Golden State last week, continues to ail him. But Hood doesn’t sound interested in watching from the sidelines. In fact, he played 35 minutes Sunday, scoring 12 points in a win at Sacramento.
KEY MATCHUP
Jazz forward Derrick Favors might not make a lot of noise and doesn’t get the attention he deserves while playing in Utah’s capital, but he’s been steadily improving ever since he joined the team in the franchise-altering Deron Williams deal at the 2011 deadline. Some of his value is that there simply aren’t many players like him. It’s easy to forget that the man is 6-10 because of how gracefully he moves on the court, and his game is still evolving. Which is scary to think since he’s averaging a career-best 16.9 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 1.2 steals, shooting 52 percent and showing significant progress as a free throw shooter. To combat Utah’s size up front, the Cavs will have to use the duo of Tristan Thompson and Timofey Mozgov together, which severely hampers their game. And Favors is much more athletic than either of the Cavs’ big men. Also, LeBron James and Kevin Love don’t stand a chance defending him. Favors is coming off a huge night going for 28 on 10 of 16 shooting with 14 boards against Sacramento, numbers the Jazz expect more of from their stud.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
A numbing loss to Memphis one week ago set off James, and apparently the rest of his Cavs teammates. The King questioned his team’s playoff readiness, even though the NBA postseason is still over a month away. Hitting the road following that loss gave Cleveland an opportunity to work on aspects of its game necessary to succeed in the postseason, and so far the Cavs have gotten an A+ for their work. The up-tempo style coach Tyronn Lue wanted so badly to inject his team with is taking hold and the Cavs are dropping threes like there’s no tomorrow. Everything has worked offensively for the club on its trip and they are healthy. Cleveland will be tested on the road by a good Utah team fighting for its playoff life, but the Cavs have too many weapons, more depth, and are dialed in right now.
Cleveland 108, Utah 105
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