The Utah Jazz visit the TD Garden to take on the Boston Celtics. Action starts at 7:30 pm ET on Monday, Feb. 29 and will air on RT and CNE.
The Celtics come into this game on a high note after beating the Heat 101-89 on Saturday. Evan Turner had 14 points, nine assists, and six rebounds for Boston. The Jazz, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their close 98-96 loss at the hands of the Nets on Saturday. Gordon Hayward had a game-high 27 points.
Over the last five games, Derrick Favors and Hayward have upped their production for the Jazz. During that stretch, Favors has averaged 20.4 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.0 steal, and 1.8 blocks. Not to be outdone, Hayward has put up 21.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.0 steals, and 1.8 three-pointers.
It will be a showdown of conflicting tempos, as the fast-paced Celtics (ranked third in the NBA in possessions per game) will look to push the slow-paced Jazz (30th in possessions per game).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Jazz won the first game 111-93. Favors played a big role with 23 points and 10 rebounds.
The Celtics enter the game with records of 35-25 Straight Up (SU) and 32-26-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 3-7 ATS over their last 10 games. The Celtics are an exceptional shooting team from the line with a .789 free throw percentage, one of the highest marks in the NBA. Boston is one of the most disciplined teams in the league with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.78. The Celtics have really locked down opponents, ranking fifth in the league with a .438 opponent field-goal percentage. Opponents have consistently had the ball stolen by the Celtics, who rank second in the league in steals per game with 9.4. Boston is one of the league’s top scoring teams off turnovers with an average of 18.9 points per game.
Across the court, the Jazz head into the game with records of 28-29-1 ATS and 28-30 SU. Utah has records of 28-30 SU and 28-29-1 ATS against the East. During the last 10 games, they averaged 113.3 PPG, above their 98.0 PPG season average. The Jazz average 97.1 points allowed per game, but have damaged those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 109.5 points per game during that span.
In their previous meeting this season, Utah beat Boston, but the win was not enough to overtake Boston in the most recent head-to-head series. Its record is now 2-8 SU over the last 10 meetings. With a 6-3-1 record, the Celtics also have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Bos
Notes
Utah ranks 26th in points per game with 98.0, while Boston ranks 14th in points allowed with an average of 102.0 given up.
Utah scores an average of 97.6 points per away game (ranked 24th), while Boston gives up 100.6 points per home game (ranked 14th).
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Boston Celtics are a dazzling 25-3. In games where they fail to hit triple digits, the Utah Jazz have a losing record of 14-22.
The Boston Celtics have a losing 10-22 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Utah Jazz are 14-8 when they hit triple digits.
Boston’s offense and Utah’s defense both rank 14th this season. Boston has an offensive rating of 103.9 and Utah has a defensive rating of 103.4.
Boston averages 102.1 possessions per game, scoring 1.039 points on each possession. While Utah averages fewer possessions per game with 94.2, the team scores more points per possession with 1.041.
The Boston Celtics average an effective field goal percentage of 49.1% this season. The Utah Jazz have a subpar record of 5-27 when opponents have an EFF% of 49.1% or greater.
On average, the Boston Celtics attempt 26.0 three point field goals per game and the Utah Jazz attempt 22.0 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 threes, Boston has a 19-21 record and Utah has a 10-12 record.
The Boston Celtics rank third with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.78, while the Utah Jazz rank near the bottom of the league at 28th with an A/TO of 1.30.
The Celtics rank seventh in rebounds per game with 44.9, while the Jazz rank 22nd with 42.7 per game.
The Utah Jazz rank ninth in offensive rebounding, while the Boston Celtics rank 16th in defensive rebounding.
Boston ranks third in forced turnovers with an average rate of 16.0%. Utah has a 10-14 record when they suffer a turnover rate equal to or exceeding this.
