Philadelphia 76ers vs Utah Jazz 02/15/2021 NBA Odds, Preview and Prediction

The Philadelphia 76ers hit the road again and travel to Salt Lake City to take on the Utah Jazz at the Vivint Smart Home Arena on Monday night.

The Sixers have the best record in the Eastern Conference right now and have done so despite struggling to win on the road. Philadelphia is currently 1-2 in this four-game road swing and will face the team with the best record in the league.

The Jazz have won seven straight games and have lost just once in their last 19 assignments. Utah also has an impeccable home record this season and they have a 12-2 home record. This is the first meeting between these two teams this season and in their last encounter, the Sixers won 103-94 in Philadelphia on December 2, 2019.

Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers head to Salt Lake City with back to back losses under their belts. Despite that, Philly still has the best record in the Eastern Conference at 18-9., two games ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks in the team standings. However, the Sixers are just 7-7 when playing away from home and in their last game, Philadelphia dropped a 120-11 contest in Phoenix

Joel Embiid led the Sixers with 35 points on 12-23 shooting from the field. Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris each added 19 points while Seth Curry and Danny Green also contributed 10 points apiece. However, it was their defense that was their problem as the Sixers allowed the Suns to shoot over 60% from the field and gave up 49 points to the Phoenix bench. Meanwhile, head coach Doc Rivers called out the bench after contributing only 20 total points against the Suns.

Philadelphia ranks 8th overall in scoring at 114.1 points per game this season. They also have the league’s 9th best scoring defense at 110.8 points per game allowed. The Sixers are 8th in the NBA in rebounding at 45.7 boards grabbed per contest and are 22nd in passing at 23.3 assists per game this season.

What are the Moneyline Odds?

76ers

+220

Jazz

-260

Odds from BetOnline as of 02/14/2021

Utah Jazz

The Utah Jazz continued with their torrid streak. On Saturday, they improved their league-leading record to 22-5 and are now 12-2 at home after defeating the defending Eastern Conference champions Miami Heat. The win snapped Miami’s four-game winning run while extending Utah’s current streak to seven games.

Donovan Mitchell led the Jazz with 26 points against the Heat. Bogdan Bogdanovic added 19 points while Georges Niang had 14 for Utah which is 18-1 after opening the season with a 4-4 record. But it was their defense that got the job done, limiting the Heat to 15 points in the decisive third quarter. Utah’s defensive anchor Rudy Gobert led the team with 12 rebounds and 3 blocks while also scoring 16 points.

Utah is the 6th best scoring team in the NBA right now, averaging 115.0 points per game scored. They are also the best rebounding team in the NBA at 49.0 boards grabbed per contest and are 20th in passing at 23.9 assists per game. The Jazz own the league’s 3rd best scoring defense at 105.7 points per game allowed.

Who Wins?

The Sixers are 9-4 SU in their last 13 games played. Philadelphia is 1-4 SU in their last five games against the Northwest Division. The Jazz are 7- SU in their last seven games played. Utah is 12-0 SU in their last dozen home games played. Head to head, the Sixers have won five out of their last six meetings against the Jazz. However, Utah is 13-2 SU in their last 15 home games against Philadelphia.

On the other hand, the Sixers have struggled on the road this season, winning just half of their 14 games away from home while only having one road win over an opponent with a .500 record. Philly is coming off back to back road losses to the Blazers and Suns.

Head coach Doc Rivers called out the Sixers bench after their last loss and I won’t be surprised if they come up big in this game. However, the Jazz are not just the better shooting team between these two but they are also playing excellent basketball right now and look nearly unbeatable. I agree that the Law of Averages is going to catch up with the Jazz. I just don’t think it’s going to be on Monday, at home, against a Philly team that’s struggled to win away from home this season. Given me the Jazz to play beautiful music once again.

Prediction: Utah Jazz

Other Bets To Make

Philadelphia is 14-11-2 ATS in their last 27 games played. The Sixers are 5-7-2 ATS in their last 14 games played on the road, and 1-4 ATS in their last five Monday games. Utah is 6-0 ATS in their last six games played. The Jazz are 11-2-1 ATS in 14 home games played this season, and 6-0 ATS in their last six games played against the Eastern Conference. Head to head, the Sixers are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games played against the Jazz. 

What are the Spread Odds?

76ers

+7.5 (-110)

Jazz

-7.5 (-110)

Odds from BetOnline as of 02/15/2021

Utah has covered in 17 out of their last 21 games as the betting favorite and 10-1 ATS in their last 11 games as home favorites. They are also 11-2 ATS in their last 13 games when playing with one day rest. Save for their four-point win over the Nuggets on January 17th, all of the Jazz’s victories during this 18-1 SU stretch have come with a winning margin of at least 8 points. I won’t blame you if you go with the law of averages and pick the Sixers but the trends are too good as well.

Prediction: Jazz -7.5

The total has gone over in five out of the last seven games played by the Sixers. The over is 4-1 in Philadelphia’s last five road games played and 5-2 in their last seven games after an ATS loss. The total has gone over in five out of the last eight games played by the Jazz. Utah has seen the total go over in eight out of their last nine games played on a Monday. Head to head, the total has gone under in seven out of the last 10 meetings between these two teams. The under is also 5-1 in their last six meetings in Utah.

Philadelphia likes to push the tempo and is ranked 9th in the league in that department with an average of 101.1 possessions per game. They have scored at least 118 points in five out of their last eight games played although they were limited to only 111 against the Suns in their last outing. The Jazz are the 6th highest-scoring team in the league and are shooting three-pointers like no team before. The Jazz sink their three-pointers at home and that’s what will take the score over the total.

Prediction: Over 226

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