The Cleveland Cavaliers (47-18) visit Utah to take on the Jazz (31-35) in what should be a low-scoring game. Action begins at 10:30 pm ET on Monday, Mar. 14 and can be seen on ESP.
The Jazz enter this game hoping for similar success after topping the Kings 108-99 on Sunday. Derrick Favors was a key piece, recording his 17th double-double of the season with 28 points and 14 rebounds. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, are coming off a 114-90 win against the Clippers on Sunday. LeBron James was the game’s top scorer, accounting for 27 points on 9-for-15 shooting.
Favors has taken his game to another level over the last five games for the Jazz. During that stretch, he has averaged 19.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.8 steals, and 2.4 blocks. Kyrie Irving has upped his play for the Cavaliers. In the same five-game span, he is averaging 24.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.8 blocks, and 2.6 three-pointers.
Half-court execution will be of utmost importance when two of the NBA’s slowest-paced teams square off. Utah ranks 30th in the league in possessions per game (94.5), while Cleveland is 26th (95.7).
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Cavaliers winning the first matchup 118-114. Mo Williams had a standout performance in the victory, putting up 29 points, six rebounds, six assists, two steals, and four three-pointers.
The Jazz come into this game 31-35 Straight Up (SU) and 31-34-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 31-35 SU and 31-34-1 ATS against the Eastern Conference.
As for their opponent, the Cavaliers have 47-18 SU and 30-33-2 ATS records. Cleveland has not performed well ATS during its last 10 games, earning a 3-7 record. The Cavaliers allow very few three-pointers on defense with 7.0 given up per game.
In their previous meeting this season, Cleveland beat Utah, bringing the head-to-head record to an even 5-5 SU over the last 10 meetings. The Jazz lead the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4.
Predictions: SU Winner – Cle
Notes
“Utah is 3-9 ATS in its last 12 games “.
“Utah is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games “.
“Utah is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home”.
“Utah is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games at home”.
“Utah is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Cleveland”.
“Utah is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Cleveland”.
“The total has gone OVER in 8 of Utah’s last 10 games when playing Cleveland”.
“Utah is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Cleveland”.
“Utah is 4-7-1 ATS in its last 12 games when playing at home against Cleveland”.
“Utah is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Cleveland”.
“The total has gone OVER in 4 of Utah’s last 5 games when playing at home against Cleveland”.
“The total has gone OVER in 4 of Cleveland’s last 5 games when playing on the road against Utah”.
Both Cleveland and Utah rank zeroth in points per game and points allowed per game respectively. Cleveland puts up 0.0 points per game, while Utah gives up 0.0.
Cleveland and Utah are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. Cleveland puts up an average of 0.0 points on the road, while Utah gives up 0.0 points at home on average.
Utah has a solid 28-11 record when it gives up under 100 points this season. Cleveland is 11-14 when it scores under 100.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Jazz are just 3-24 this season. Cleveland is a superb 36-4 when it hits the century mark.
The Jazz have an offensive rating of 103.8 (ranked 13th). The Cavaliers rank eighth for their defensive rating of 101.9.
Cleveland beats Utah in both possessions per game and points per possession. The Cavaliers average 95.7 possessions and 1.086 points per possession, while the Jazz average 94.5 possessions with 1.038 points per possession.
Cleveland has an average effective field goal percentage of 52.1% (ranked third in the league}. Utah is an underachieving 5-21 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, the Cleveland Cavaliers make 22.3 assists per game and the Utah Jazz make 18.7. Cleveland is ranked 14th, while Utah is ranked 28th.
Utah makes an average of 5.2 blocks per game (ranked 12th), while Cleveland makes 3.7 blocks per game (ranked 28th).
The Jazz and the Cavaliers are well matched when it comes to rebounding. Utah is ranked eighth in offensive rebounding, and Cleveland is also ranked eighth in defensive rebounding.
On average, Utah makes 7.8 steals per game. Cleveland has a stellar 27-9 record when it allows at least 7 steals.
