The Utah Jazz have enjoyed a long rest since their last game vs the Portland Trail Blazers. Hopefully, they haven’t forgotten how to do things like, for example, win a game 129-107. Tonight, they host the Boston Celtics. The Celtics (12-10) weren’t quite as dominant as the Jazz (14-7) were in their last contest, barely squeaking out a modest 88-87 victory over a shorthanded Philadelphia 76ers team. Nonetheless, the C’s are a formidable group, even with star wing Jaylen Brown on the sidelines.
Utah Jazz vs Boston Celtics Odds Tonight
According to WynnBet, the Jazz are a 7 point favorite against the Celtics and a -330 favorite for the money line. Boston is currently a +270 money line underdog.
The over/under is presently at 210.0 points.
Utah Jazz Starting Lineup Tonight
The Jazz will welcome forward Royce O’Neale back into the fold after a brief, injury-related absence. Look for Quin Snyder to go with his usual starting lineup of Mike Conley, Donovan Mitchell, O’Neale, Bojan Bogdanovic and Rudy Gobert in this contest.
Utah Jazz Injury Report
Udoka Azubuike is still dealing with an ankle injury that will keep him out of this matchup. Meanwhile, guard Trent Forrest will also be unavailable with a non-COVID related illness.
Utah Jazz vs Boston Celtics Prediction
The Celtics have had a relatively disappointing start to the 2021-22 season. They’re one of the best defensive teams in the league with a third overall 105.9 Defensive Rating, but they struggle to put points on the board.
Looking at this starting lineup, that might not come as a shock. Jayson Tatum, of course, is a walking bucket, and Dennis Schroder can be an effective offensive player, but the fact remains that this team is offensively limited without Jaylen Brown. The frontcourt pairing of Robert Williams and Al Horford particularly lends itself to a defense only outfit.
That’s likely to be a problem against the Utah Jazz. Look for Rudy Gobert to eat against the 6’8 Williams. The man they call the Time Lord is a remarkable athlete, but he won’t be able to compensate for Gobert’s length, or draw the Stifle Tower out of the paint with three-point attempts. Meanwhile, Horford is a better paint protector than perimeter stopper: expect him to struggle to close out the Jazz’s barrage of three-point attempts.
The Jazz are the better team here, and they have several matchup advantages. They should take home a victory tonight.
Prediction: Jazz 118, Celtics 104
Utah Jazz vs Boston Celtics TV Channel
Fans in Utah can tune into AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain, while Boston fans can catch it on NBC Sports Boston. It will also be available on ROOT SPORTS Northwest and NBA League Pass.
Utah Jazz Schedule and Next Game
Following this contest, the Jazz get a day to rest up before a matchup with the upstart Cleveland Cavaliers on December 5th. On December 8th, they’ve got the Minnesota Timberwolves.
After that matchup, they’ll face the Philadelphia 76ers in the second game of a back-to-back.