NBA: 76ers vs. Jazz Predictions Against the Spread 11/7/17
Are the Jazz a good bet to cover the point spread tonight against the 76ers? Let’s dive into this Tuesday night matchup.
The Odds: 76ers at Jazz, 9:00 p.m. ET, Tuesday
According to oddsmakers, Utah is now a 6.5-point home favorite to beat Philadelphia. The 76ers opened as 3-point road underdogs but the number jumped to 6.5 at the majority of sports books. As for the total, the number hit the board at 203.5 but jumped to 205.
Philadelphia enters play Tuesday night with a 5-4 record, which includes a 3-2 road mark. Utah, meanwhile, is 5-5 on the season and an outstanding 5-1 mark at home. From a betting standpoint, the Sixers have covered in seven of their last nine games while the Jazz are 6-4 against the spread in their 10 games. Philadelphia is 4-1 ATS on the road while Utah is 5-1 ATS at home, so this is an intriguing game from a betting standpoint.
Philadelphia 76ers
From Rotoworld: Richaun Holmes will start at center in place of Joel Embiid (rest) on Tuesday vs. Utah. Holmes just recently returned from a wrist injury. He made his season debut last Friday, finishing with six points, five rebounds and one assist in 10 minutes. It is unknown how many minutes Holmes will be permitted to play Tuesday, but he did average 14.0 points and 7.2 rebounds in 28.6 minutes in the 14 games he started last season. Amir Johnson will serve as Holmes’ primary backup, and Jahlil Okafor may even crack the rotation on Tuesday.
Utah Jazz
Ricky Rubio was quiet during a lopsided loss in Houston on Sunday, chipping in 10 points, three assists, two rebounds and one 3-pointer in 20 minutes. Rubio has been checking out earlier in the first and third quarters recently, which is by design. “Ricky is such a competitor I think he expends a lot of energy,” said coach Quin Snyder. “So that substitution pattern fits him. It took us a little while to figure that out.” The veteran has still been getting plenty of minutes and closing out quarters, tonight’s blowout aside, so there’s no cause for concern here.
Our Prediction
The 76ers are just 2-5 against the spread in their last 11 games versus the Jazz and are 2-7 against the number in their last nine games in Utah. Even though the number has jumped 3.5 points, I still think there’s plenty of value in the Jazz tonight.
Tuesday NBA Prediction: Utah Jazz -6.5
