The Philadelphia 76ers have been dominant at home this season, but their road performance has been a different story. The 76ers will need to improve away from home to truly be considered a championship contender, and a road win over the Utah Jazz this week would be a good step forward.
The Jazz has been struggling of late and needs to turn it on in order to make it to the playoffs in a crowded Western Conference. Utah does not have the same type of top-end talent as the 76ers but plays well as a team. The Jazz has struggled at home thus far in the year but the oddsmakers are still giving them a boost because of the location.
This figures to be a competitive showdown in NBA gambling.
This NBA basketball game between the Philadelphia 76ers and Utah Jazz will be held at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah at 10:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, December 27th, 2018. The game will be nationally televised on TNT.
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Odds Analysis
The 76ers have gone 22-12 on the season. Philadelphia has been masterful at home but has captured only six of 15 games on the road. The 76ers have a chance to win this game and it would be a good one to grab against a talented foe.
The Jazz is 16-18 on the year. Utah has won only six of 13 games at home thus far but that includes a recent defeat of the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors. The Jazz expected to be among the better teams in the Western Conference but is instead currently in lottery land and in need of a big boost. There is talent on this team but plenty of others in the West are looking capable of making the playoffs, so things could get dicey without a surge soon.
Matchup To Watch
Joel Embiid vs. Rudy Gobert -- Embiid, the talented young 76ers center, is having a monster season. He is averaging 26.3 points, 13.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. Gobert, though, is one of the premium low post defenders in the NBA.
If he can manage to keep Embiid from getting a lot of easy shots, Utah should be able to hang around in this one. Embiid is only shooting 47 percent from the field and it won’t be easy to be over 50 percent in this one with Gobert guarding him.
Key Stat
106.4. That’s the number of points allowed by Utah this season. Even though the rest of the NBA is really pushing the pace and playing spread-it-out ball on offense, the Jazz has more of a throwback look.
Utah prefers to get into a halfcourt game and rely on its defense. The 76ers have talented players but their best ballhandler, Ben Simmons, is not a very good shooter. He excels in the open court so Utah will aim to slow this game down. The 76ers are averaging 114.2 points per game so it will be interesting to see which team can control the pace of play in this showdown.
Free NBA ATS Picks
Utah has not put it all together quite yet this season but this is still a solid team. Ignore the home court woes to this point. The Jazz has the big advantage because of the location and should be able to pick up the win.
The 76ers have a good team but they are still young and don’t always play well away from home. Utah needs this win badly as it jockeys for position in the West and the Jazz will claim it. This one may not be as close as the oddsmakers expect in NBA wagering.
NBA ATS Pick: Utah Jazz 107, Philadelphia 76ers 101
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