76ers vs Jazz Odds, Spread and Picks
- The Philadelphia 76ers look to get back on track tonight against the Utah Jazz, who hold the NBA’s best record. (9 p.m. EST)
- Utah’s Mike Conley will miss his fifth consecutive game with a hamstring injury and Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid is questionable with back tightness
- Read below for complete analysis on the matchup and a pick on the game
Things haven’t been going well for the Philadelphia 76ers on their most recent road trip, and their fortunes aren’t likely to change on Monday night in Utah.
Philly has lost its last two games outright and against the spread, and now must face a Jazz side that has only lost once in its last 19 games. During that stretch, Utah has covered in all but two games, one of those being a push. The Jazz are a 7.5-point favorite tonight and are coming off back-to-back wins against Milwaukee and Miami.
Mike Conley has missed the last four games for Utah with a hamstring injury, and Joel Embiid is listed as questionable with a back issue for the 76ers. After a pair of 35-point performances in losses to Portland and Phoenix in Philadelphia’s last two games, Embiid could be in for reduced minutes if he plays tonight.
76ers vs Jazz Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia 76ers | +7.5 (-110) | +245 | O 227 (-108) |
| Utah Jazz | +7.5 (-110) | -305 | U 227 (-113) |
Odds taken from DraftKings on Feb. 15th
“Are We There Yet?”
Right now, the 76ers are probably just thinking about making it back home and hitting the reset button. This game against Utah is the last of the west coast swing the team has been on, and when they get back to Philadelphia, their next six games are all against teams that are under .500.
After a tough loss to the Blazers on Thursday night, the Suns shot 60% from the field and outscored the 76ers in all but the first quarter to win, 120-111. The Jazz shot just 26% from beyond the arc in their win against Miami on Saturday night, and if they’re going to keep winning, they can’t have that become the norm.
Philadelphia made 41% of its threes against Phoenix, but only took 17 of them. Teams have shot more three-pointers against Utah in recent games, but for the season, the Jazz haven’t allowed opponents to get off many attempts from distance. Utah is also a top-five defense in fewest second-chance points allowed and top-ten in fast-break points allowed. The 76ers had been one of the highest-scoring fast break teams in the league prior to this road trip, but have been among the league’s worst while they’ve been on it.
Getting Right from Beyond the Arc
Utah’s Donovan Mitchell has been a fringe MVP candidate by virtue of Utah’s success this season, but he hasn’t been terribly efficient in recent games. In his last two, he’s shot 30% and 42% from the field, but is a combined 4-for-21 from three.
Latest #NBAAllStar votes are in. Donovan Mitchell is now fourth but waaaaaay behind top three.
He is only @utahjazz player to be in the top 10. #TakeNote pic.twitter.com/2rGGmzFFU2
— KSL Unrivaled (@KSLunrivaled) February 11, 2021
A bet on Utah to cover the 7.5-point spread tonight would also be a bet on Mitchell to get back in a groove, but that might be difficult against Ben Simmons. Mitchell has struggled against longer, rangier defenders at times this season and has another tough matchup in that regard here. In the five games prior to his last two, Mitchell shot 52% from distance, but he needs to figure out how to get back to that level of production.
Bojan Bogdanovic and Royce O’Neal have been particularly cold from three recently, and the Jazz have received most of their support in that area off the bench from players like Jordan Clarkson and Georges Niang. Utah is still going to fire off threes against the 76ers, who have allowed an average of 35 taken by opponents on this road trip, but it is anyone’s guess as to how many of those are going to fall for them.
Making the Play
Both teams have been among the top defensive sides in the league this season. Utah’s games have finished under their total points projection 55% of the time, and considering most of the Jazz starters are in a bit of a three-point shooting funk, that trend seems likely to continue, considering Utah’s proclivity for taking them.
With Embiid potentially playing a reduced role tonight and Utah gearing up for back-to-back games against the Clippers, there just doesn’t seem to be the juice in this one to go over 227 points. The line may continue to go up ahead of tip-off, and Utah very well could still cover the 7.5-points its currently laying, but the safer move is on the total.
The Pick: Under 227 (-113)
Nick Krueger has over a decade of experience in sports media, covering a wide range of events including two Olympic Games for Yahoo Sports. Other areas of focus for Nick throughout his career have included college football recruiting, NCAA athletics and Major League Baseball Spring Training.
