The Utah Jazz (10-17) travel to face off against the Cleveland Cavaliers (15-12) on Wednesday, December 20th. This game will be played at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. Tip-off is set for 7:00 ET.

Jazz vs Cavaliers

The Jazz Are Coming Off A Win

The Jazz’s most recent matchup against the Nets saw Collin Sexton lead the Jazz with 27 points while shooting 6/17 from the field. Talen Horton-Tucker also contributed 27 points as the Jazz won by a score of 125-108 vs. the Nets.

Coming into today’s game, the Jazz have an overall record of 10-17 and are looking to improve that vs. the Cavaliers. At home, the Jazz are 8-5 compared to 2-12 on the road.

Currently, Utah holds an above .500 ATS record of 14-13 so far this year. This season, Utah has a 3-1 record against the spread when they are favored, and they are 11-12 when playing as underdogs.

The Cavaliers Are Coming Off A Win

In the Cavaliers’ most recent game against the Rockets, Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 37 points while going 14/27 from the field. The Cavaliers picked up a 135-130 win, and Sam Merrill also added 19 points which was 2nd on the team.

When breaking down the Cavaliers’ last ten games, they have gone 6-4 and come into today’s game against the Jazz with a record of 15-12. On the road, the Cavaliers are 7-6 this season compared to their 8-6 mark at home.

Cleveland has an overall ATS record of 12-13 for the season so far. With a four game ATS win streak as favorites, the Cavaliers are 5-4 against the spread when they are underdogs.

Jazz Offense Breakdown

This season, the Utah offense is ranked 22nd in the NBA in scoring at 112.2 points per game. So far, the Jazz are averaging 99.3 possessions per game, which places them below the NBA average. Not only does the team’s offense play at a slower pace, but they their overall lack of efficiency has them ranked 24th in made field goals per game.

Cavaliers Offense Breakdown

Through 27 games games, Cleveland is averaging 112 points per game (23rd). So far, the Cavaliers are averaging 98.2 possessions per game, which places them below the NBA average. If the Cavaliers offense is going to turn things around, they will need to either generate more possessions or improve their overall efficiency. Currently, they are just 22nd ranked team in 3-point shooting percentage.

Jazz Team Defense

Currently, the Jazz’s defense holds the 24 rank in the NBA, allowing 119.5 points per game.

When it comes to defending inside the arc, the Jazz squad is permitting opposing teams to shoot at a clip of 56.1% inside the arc, and they’re also giving up 37.6% from downtown.

Cavaliers Team Defense

Currently, the Cavaliers’ defense holds the 9 rank in the NBA, allowing 111.9 points per game.

In terms of two point field goal attempts, the Cavaliers defense has allowed a shooting percentage of 51.8% while allowing 35.8% from downtown.

Key Players For The Jazz And Cavaliers

For today’s matchup, we project Lauri Markkanen to lead the scoring for the Jazz, putting up 14 points and shooting at a rate of 5/10. During this season, he is delivering an average of 23.2 points per game, along with 8.5 rebounds.

On the opposing side, we anticipate Donovan Mitchell to be the top scorer for the Cavaliers. Our projection has him finishing the game with 21, and he is expected to secure 5 rebounds. This season, he is shooting at a field goal percentage of 45.3%, and his scoring average is 27.7 points per game.

Jazz vs Cavaliers Trends

• Although Utah has a straight up record of 2-8 in their last ten road games, they have not held up as well vs the spread going 3-7. The team averaged 107 points per game in these games.
• When looking at their past five home matchups, Cleveland has an ATS record of 2-1-2 while averaging 107 per game. The team went 2-3 overall in these games.
• Through their last five games as the underdog, the Jazz have an ATS record of 3-2 and a straight up mark of 3-2.
• As the betting favorite, the Cavaliers have an ATS mark of just 5-4-1 in their last ten games. Cleveland posted a straight up mark of 7-3 in these matchups.

 

Jazz vs Cavaliers Prediction

 

Not only do we have the Cavaliers winning this one by a score of 112-103, but we see them covering the spread. Our pick is to grab the Cavaliers at -6.5.

Right now, the over/under line for the game is sitting at 227.5 and given that our model is projecting 215 points between the teams, we like the under.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.