Who’s Playing
Utah @ Boston
Current Records: Utah 36-40; Boston 53-24
What to Know
The Utah Jazz need to shore up a defense that is allowing 117.8 points per matchup before their game Friday. They are on the road again Friday and play against the Boston Celtics at 7:30 p.m. ET March 31 at TD Garden. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, Utah and Boston will really light up the scoreboard.
The Jazz didn’t have too much trouble with the San Antonio Spurs on the road on Wednesday as they won 128-117. Small forward Talen Horton-Tucker was the offensive standout of the contest for Utah, shooting 6-for-11 from downtown and finishing with 41 points and five assists.
Meanwhile, you can’t lose the game if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Boston’s strategy against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday. Boston put a hurting on Milwaukee on the road to the tune of 140-99. The matchup was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 75-47. Power forward Jayson Tatum had a stellar game for the Celtics as he shot 8-for-10 from beyond the arc and finished with 40 points and eight boards.
The Jazz are the clear underdogs, so they’re hoping it’s the size of the fight that determines this one. However, those who like betting on the underdog should be happy to hear that they are 23-9 against the spread when expected to lose.
Utah got away with a 118-117 win in the teams’ previous meeting earlier this month. The rematch might be a little tougher for them since the team won’t have home-court advantage. We’ll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
How To Watch
When: Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET
Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET Where: TD Garden — Boston, Massachusetts
TD Garden — Boston, Massachusetts TV: ATTSN Rocky Mountain
ATTSN Rocky Mountain Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.) Follow: CBS Sports App
CBS Sports App Ticket Cost: $130.00
Odds
The Celtics are a big 13.5-point favorite against the Jazz, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 13.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
Series History
Utah have won nine out of their last 15 games against Boston.