Cleveland Cavaliers vs Utah Jazz Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 20/12/2023, 03:39  by Joseph King | Modified on 20/12/2023 at 03:56 in NBA Predictions

An inter-conference matchup in the NBA on Wednesday sees the East’s sixth-placed team the Cleveland Cavaliers taking on the West’s 12th-place team the Utah Jazz. It’s been a start-stop type of season so far for Cleveland who just haven’t been able to stay healthy. The fact that they are three games above .500 at 15-12 is a testament to the depth in this team. Unfortunately for the Cavs, they’ve once again suffered lengthy injuries to two of the team’s best players. Defensive anchor Evan Mobley needs knee surgery and will be out of action for 6-8 weeks. Point guard Darius Garland, meanwhile, is looking at multiple weeks on the sidelines after fracturing his jaw last Friday. To their credit, the Cavs have won their last two in a row following a 135-130 overtime victory over the Rockets on Monday. They saw eight players score in double figures in that win, including 37 from star Donovan Mitchell and a career-high 19 from Sam Merrill.

The Jazz are experiencing something of a purple patch after a 125-108 home win over the Nets marked the team’s third win from the last four overall. However, it’s still largely been a struggle for Utah this season as their 10-17 record has them sitting three places above the bottom-placed Spurs. The Jazz possess a solid 8-5 record in Salt Lake City but it’s their away performances where the team has really faltered on the year. At just 2-12, the Jazz possess the worst away record in the entire Western Conference. The underlying numbers haven’t been pretty for Will Hardy’s team as Utah ranks 24th in adjusted offensive rating and 26th in adjusted defensive rating. They’re also scoring the second-fewest points per game on their travels (106.2) and giving up the third-most (123.0).