The Utah Jazz began the season on fire, including road wins over the Rockets, Pelicans and Mavericks and a close loss to the Warriors. However, they have struggled lately and fallen to below .500 on the season. Utah will aim to get back on track with a tough matchup against the Boston Celtics.
Boston has also been up and down on the season. The Celtics are the favorites to win the Eastern Conference with LeBron James now in the West, but both the Bucks and Raptors are playing at a high level. The Celtics need to pick it up in order to move to the top of the pack.
This should be a good game. Utah is the home team and figures to be the favorite in NBA gambling.
This NBA basketball game between the Boston Celtics and Utah Jazz will be held at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah at 9:30 p.m ET on Friday, November 9th, 2018. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN.
We'll have NBA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for every game of the 2018 NBA season.
Odds Analysis
The Celtics are 6-4 on the season. They have lost two straight and will look to put that behind them in this one. Boston has played six games on the road this season and won half of them.
The Jazz has gone 5-6 on the year. Utah has done well on the road this year but has only captured one of five contests at home. That seems like it will even out as the year goes on, and Utah would love to start the trek back toward respectability at home with a key win in this game.
This contest will be shown on national television, which means there will be live betting capability. It is a good way to add on wagers once the game begins in NBA odds.
Injury Update
Utah doesn’t score a lot of points and relies on Donovan Mitchell to do the heavy lifting on a nightly basis. That’s why it was a problem recently when the star guard missed a pair of games. The first absence was due to hamstring tightness, and the Jazz lost to the Grizzlies. He then missed a game with a sprained ankle and Utah fell to the Raptors.
Mitchell scored 23 points and added seven assists last time out in a win over the Mavericks, and he should be good to go for this one. It’s a critical piece for the Jazz as Mitchell scores 22.4 points per game, six more than anyone else on the team.
Player To Watch
Kyrie Irving -- The Celtics point guard missed a big chunk of last season, including the playoffs, due to injury. He was a bit rusty to begin this year but has really hit a groove in the past four games. Irving has scored 28 points or more in three of them and shot at least 50 percent from the field every time.
Irving is averaging 19.2 points, 5.3 assists and 4.8 assists per game on the season. He is shooting 48 percent from the floor and 41 percent from three-point range. The Celtics have a lot of talent, but every team needs a go-to guy, and Irving seems like he has ascended back to that throne now that he is over his injury.
Free NBA ATS Picks
The early-season results notwithstanding, Utah is a tough team to beat at home. The Celtics have slightly more talent but the Jazz will be desperate to get this game.
Look for Utah to come away with the win. Check in on the spread when it is released, as the Celtics may be able to cover as this one should come down to the very end in NBA wagering. The “under” could be the right choice as this one will be a throwback type game with much more defense than is seen in the present-day NBA.
NBA ATS Pick: Utah Jazz 103, Boston Celtics 101
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