NBA Friday Betting Preview: Boston Celtics vs Utah Jazz

When Gordon Hayward left Salt Lake City and bolted for Boston, many fans immediately circled December 15th on their calendars. Hayward’s first game against his former team was expected to be must-see TV, but that was before the 27-year-old star went down with a gruesome leg injury six minutes into the opening game of the season.

Although Hayward won’t be in uniform this evening (or any time soon), there’s still plenty to look forward to as the Jazz and Celtics clash for the first time this year. The Celtics have won seven of their last ten games and are just three weeks removed from an improbable 16-game win streak that captured the imagination of fans nationwide. Head coach Brad Stevens has done a masterful job of integrating 12 new players into his lineup this season, and has gotten the most out of prized addition Kyrie Irving, who is averaging 24 points, 4.9 assists, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.4 steals in just 32 minutes per game. The four-time All-Star has cemented his reputation as one of the league’s premier closers.

The Jazz may not have any stars on Irving’s level, but they do have a bona fide Rookie of the Year contender in Donovan Mitchell. The Louisville product has scored 20-plus points a dozen times this season, and recently set a franchise record by dropping 41 points in a win over the Pelicans. Mitchell’s emergence as a go-to scorer has helped Utah recover from Hayward’s unexpected departure and has the team pushing towards the playoffs rather than spiralling towards the lottery.

As electric as Irving and Mitchell are, tonight’s game will ultimately come down to defense. Both teams pride themselves on their stingy D and excel at trapping ball-handlers and contesting threes. The Celtics and Jazz will make each other work for every point in what should be an intriguing match-up between two of the league’s best-coached and most disciplined young teams.

Boston Celtics vs Utah Jazz Team Stats

OFFENSE

DEFENSE

Recent Results

CELTICS: Boston shot 59.5-percent from the floor and 44-percent from behind the arc as they held on to defeat Denver 124-118 on Wednesday night. Irving led the way with 33 points and seven assists, and Jaylen Brown added 26 points in his second-highest scoring game of the season. Boston was without Al Horford, who took the night off to nurse a bruised right knee.

JAZZ: Utah fell behind early on Wednesday and lost 103-100 in Chicago to the suddenly red-hot Bulls, who have now won four straight. Mitchell led the Jazz with 32 points, but Utah turned the ball over 17 times and did a poor job contesting jumpers. “We’ve got to play better on the defensive end,” coach Quin Snyder said afterwards. “We’ve been here before, as far as the ball not going in. We have to be more stingy. We didn’t have that tonight.”

Notable Injuries and Absences

CELTICS: Gordon Hayward

Hayward ditched his walking boot for the first time on Wednesday and hinted that he could return in time for the playoffs if he feels “1,000-percent confident” that his leg has fully healed. In the meantime, get used to see him in street clothes if you haven’t already.

JAZZ: Dante Exum, Joe Johnson, Raul Neto

Exum recently underwent surgery to stabilize the AC joint in his left shoulder and is out indefinitely. Johnson is close to returning from a six-week absence due to wrist instability issues, and is expected to be a game-time decision. Neto remains out with concussion-like symptoms after taking a nasty shot to the head in Saturday’s game against the Bucks.

Betting the Moneyline

BEST CELTICS MONEYLINE: -230

BEST JAZZ MONEYLINE: +190

CELTICS STRAIGHT UP TRENDS

• Boston is 13-2 SU at home this season
• Boston is 7-3 SU in their last ten games
• Boston is 19-4 SU as a favorite this season
• Boston is 9-1 SU in non-conference games
• Boston is 19-4 SU after a win this season
• Boston is 20-3 SU on one day of rest this season

JAZZ STRAIGHT UP TRENDS

• Utah is 2-10 SU on the road this season
• Utah is 6-4 SU in their last ten games
• Utah is 6-10 SU as an underdog this season
• Utah is 5-8 SU in non-conference games
• Utah is 5-9 SU after a loss this season
• Utah is 4-10 SU on one day of rest this season

EXPERT MONEYLINE ADVICE: CELTICS -230

The Jazz will eventually snap out of their mini losing streak, but it won’t be tonight in Beantown, where the Celtics are 13-2 this season and have been one of the toughest outs in the league. Boston scores 5.1 more points, racks up 4.1 more assists, and shoots nearly four-percent higher from behind the arc when playing in the friendly confines of TD Garden. That advantage will be too much to overcome for a banged-up Utah squad averaging just 98 points in its last four games.

Betting Against the Spread

BEST CELTICS SPREAD: -5.5 (-110)

BEST JAZZ SPREAD: +5.5 (-110)

CELTICS AGAINST THE SPREAD TRENDS 

• Boston is 20-8-2 ATS this season (71.4-percent)
• Boston is 9-4-2 ATS at home this season

JAZZ AGAINST THE SPREAD TRENDS 

• Utah is 14-14 ATS this season (50-percent)
• Utah is 4-8 ATS on the road this season
• Utah is on a three-game ATS losing streak

EXPERT AGAINST THE SPREAD ADVICE: CELTICS (-110)

The 5.5-point spread is a little higher than you’d like to see for two teams that are likely to keep things close, but the talent gap between the Celtics and Jazz makes Boston the safer bet. Boston, after all, has a superior offensive rating and has outscored opponents by 8.5 points per game over its past four wins. They also have Irving, who ranks second in the NBA in clutch-time scoring and can single-handedly cover the spread in the game’s dying moments.

Game Total Betting

BEST OVER ODDS: 198 (-110)

BEST UNDER ODDS: 198 (-110)

CELTICS TOTALS TRENDS

• Boston is 15-14-1 O/U this season
• Boston is 8-7 O/U at home this season

JAZZ TOTALS TRENDS

• Utah is 13-14-1 O/U this season
• Utah is 7-4-1 O/U on the road this season

EXPERT TOTALS ADVICE: Under 198 (-110)

This game has all the makings of a low-scoring, defensive dog fight. Boston leads the league in defensive rating at 100.3, and Utah isn’t far behind in fifth-place at 102.1. Both teams pressure ball-handlers, switch relentlessly, and play exceptional help defense. The Celtics, in particular, are a nightmare to match up against thanks to the length and mobility of Brown, Horford, Marcus Morris, and Jayson Tatum, all of whom who can defend multiple positions.

Despite the many impressive young athletes on both teams, Boston and Utah are also in the bottom third in pace and have a way of bringing a game to a grinding halt when things get tight in the fourth quarter. We recommend taking the under as both teams are likely to struggle to hit the century mark.

Additional SU Picks

Celtics vs Jazz is just one of 11 games on tap on Friday night. Here are our other ten straight-up picks.