Utah Jazz vs Boston Celtics 03/23/2022 NBA Preview, and Pick

The Utah Jazz head to the TD Garden to test the red-hot Boston Celtics on Wednesday night.

Utah is 45-27 SU on the season and they are the no. 4 ranked team in the Western Conference right now. The Jazz are just two games behind the slumping Golden State Warriors for the 3rd seed and are 2.5 games up on the Denver Nuggets in the race for the Northwest Division. Utah is 6-4 SU in their last 10 games played and they head to Boston after losing to the Brooklyn Nets in their most recent game.

Boston is 45-28 SU this year and they are tied with the Sixers for the best record in the Atlantic Division. The Celtics are the hottest team in the NBA right now with 22 wins in their last 25 games. That hot steak has moved them up to 4th in the Eastern Conference team standings and they are just 2.5 games behind the leaders Miami Heat. Boston is 9-1 SU in their last 10 games played. The Celtics have won four in a row, all on the road.

Utah Jazz

Utah saw its three-game winning streak end at the hands of the Brooklyn Nets who beat them 114-106 on Monday night. Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points but shot just 9-23 from the field. Jordan Clarkson added 19 off the bench while Mike Conley had 18 points and 7 assists for the Jazz who dropped to 6-4 SU in their last 10 games played.

Mitchell is Utah’s leader in points and assists at 26.0 and 5.4, respectively. Rudy Gobert leads the league in rebounding at 14.5 boards per contest while also blocking 2.2 shots per game this season.

The Jazz rank 6th in the NBA in scoring at 113.9 points per game this season. Utah is 4th in rebounding at 46.4 boards grabbed per contest and are 27th in passing at 22.4 assists per game this season. They are also 9th in scoring defense at only 107.3 points per game conceded.

Boston Celtics

The Celtics continued their hot streak by sweeping their last four-game road trip. In their last game, Boston defeated the OKC Thunder 132-123 behind another big game from Jayson Tatum who scored 36 points on 11-19 shooting. Jaylen Brown added 25 points while Grant Williams added 20. Payton Pritchard also added 18 points off the bench.

Jayson Tatum is scoring an average of 27.0 points per game this season while Marcus Smart leads the Celtics with 5.7 assists per game. Robert Williams III is pulling down 9.6 rebounds while blocking 2.2 shots per contest.

Boston ranked 16th in the league in scoring at 110.2 points per game this season. They are 5th in rebounding at 46.2 boards grabbed per contest and are 17th in passing at 24.1 assists per game. The Celtics have the league’s best scoring defense at only 103.8 points per game allowed.

Who Wins?

The Jazz are 14-6 SU in their last 20 games played. Utah is 6-2 SU in their last eight games against the Eastern Conference, 11-2 SU in their last 13 games played against the Atlantic Division, and 19-16 SU in their 35 road games played this season. The Celtics are 9-1 SU in their last 10 games played. Boston is 9-2 SU in their last 11 games played at home, 16-7 SU in 23 home games against the Eastern Conference this season.

The Jazz saw their three game-wining streak snapped by the Brooklyn Nets. Utah is just 6-4 SU in their last 10 games played. But when you look at their head-to-head record against Boston, I won’t blame you if you pick the Jazz here.

Boston has been the hottest team in the NBA since the start of 2022. They have gone from being in the play-in tournament to becoming the current 4th seed in the East. The Celtics have lost just twice in their last 25 games played and are 9-1 SU in their last 10 games played,

The Celtics have been playing so well since the start of the year. And they have the defense that can take away one of Utah’s strengths this season: scoring. The Jazz are the 6th best scoring team in the NBA but Boston’s defense is the best in the league right now. I expect the Celtics to put the clamps on the Jazz offense in this game.

Prediction: Boston Celtics

Other Bets To Make

The Jazz are 1-6-1 ATS in their last eight games played. Utah is 1-6 ATS in their last seven road games, 2-9-1 ATS in their last 12 games played as underdogs, 1-4 ATS in their last five road games against an opponent with a winning home record, 1-4 ATS in their last five games when playing on one day rest, 2-8-1 ATS in their last 11 games as road underdogs, 7-17-2 ATS in their last 26 games after an ATS loss, 2-6-1 ATS in their last nine games after a straight up loss, 2-6 ATS in their last eight Wednesday games, and 9-23-1 in their last 33 games against an opponent with a winning straight up record.

The Celtics are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games against an opponent with a winning straight up record, 7-2 ATS in their last nine games when their opponent scores 100 or more points in their previous game, 7-2 ATS in their last nine games when their opponent allows 100 or more points in their previous game, 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games when playing on one-day rest, 5-2 ATS in their last seven games after an ATS loss, 9-4 ATS in their last 13 Wednesday home games, 3-1 ATS in their last four games after scoring more than 120 points in their previous game, and 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games played overall.

Again, the Jazz have owned the Celtics in this department, covering the betting spread five times in their last seven head-to-head meetings and four times in their last four head-to-head games in Boston. But then again, none of those games were played during the Celtics’ current winning run where they have looked like an entirely different ball club.

The Jazz are averaging 113.9 points per game scored this season but they will be facing a Boston Celtics team that is 1st in scoring defense at only 103.8 points per game allowed this season. The Celtics have been a juggernaut on defense since the start of the year and they continue to do so.

Although they gave up 123 against OKC the last time, out, the Celtics held their previous six opponents to 104 or fewer points. Boston won five times during that stretch with all wins coming via double-digit winning margin. I think 5.5 points is an insult to the Celtics and the way they are playing right now. Anything less than 10 points would be an easy call for me.

Prediction: Boston Celtics -5.5

The total has gone under in eight out of the last 11 games played by the Jazz. The under is 6-0 in their last six road games, 9-2 in their last 11 Wednesday games, 7-2-1 when their opponent scores 100 or more points in their previous game, 6-2-1 in their last nine games when their opponent allows 100 or more points in their previous game, 19-7-1 in their last 27 games when playing on one day rest, and 18-7-1 in their last 26 games when scoring 100 or more points in their previous game.

The total has gone over in 10 out of the last 15 games played by the Celtics. The over is 9-2-1 in their last 13 games after a straight up win, 4-1 in their last five games after scoring 100 or more points in their previous game, 4-1 in their last five games as betting favorites, 4-1 in their last five games when playing on one day rest, 5-2 ATS in their last seven games against an opponent with a winning percentage better than .600.

Head to head, the total has gone under in seven out of the last 10 meetings in Boston.

You may be surprised why Boston has favored the over in their last 15 games when they have the best scoring defense in the league. Well, that’s because Boston’s offense has been clicking as well behind Jayston Tatum and Jalen Brown. However, Utah is ranked 9th in scoring defense at 107.3 points per game.

These teams have combined to score an average of 216.4 points per game in their last 10 head-to-head meetings, with the total hitting the under four times in their last six games played.

Prediction: Under 220

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