The Indiana Pacers visit Vivint Smart Home Arena to take on the Utah Jazz. The game gets underway at 9:00 pm ET on Saturday, Dec. 5 and will air on RT and FxI.
The Jazz were beaten by the Magic 103-94 on Thursday. Alec Burks was one of the best players for the Jazz, finishing with 21 points, five rebounds, and three assists. The Pacers, meanwhile, are coming off a 123-111 loss to the Trail Blazers on Thursday. C.J. Miles had a game-high 27 points.
Over the last five games, Gordon Hayward has really been playing well for the Jazz. During that stretch, he has averaged 23.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.8 steals, and 2.6 three-pointers.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Jazz won the first game 97-76. Derrick Favors scored a game-high 18 points.
The Jazz are a small underdog, with Indiana favored by one. The Over/Under (O/U) is 194 points. The Jazz look to improve upon their records of 8-9 Straight Up (SU) and 10-6-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 4-5 SU and 5-3-1 ATS against teams from the Eastern Conference.
On the other side, the Pacers head into the game with records of 12-6 both ATS and SU. Indiana has done particularly well ATS over its past 10 matchups, going 7-3. The Pacers are shooting very well so far with a .400 three-point field-goal percentage that ranks second in the NBA. The Pacers are one of the top defensive teams in the league, essentially shutting down opponents to the tune of 96.8 points allowed per game. When it comes to stealing the ball, the Pacers are one of the best in the league with an average of 9.1 steals per game.
Utah won the last meeting this season between these two teams, but the Pacers still lead the head-to-head record over the last 10, 6-4 SU. However, with a 6-4 record, the Jazz have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Ind, ATS Winner – Ind, O/U – Under
Notes
Utah is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Utah’s last 7 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Utah’s last 6 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Utah’s last 5 games when playing Indiana.
Utah is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Indiana.
Utah is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Indiana.
Utah averages 95.9 points per game, placing the team just 27th in the league. Indiana ranks fifth in points allowed, giving up 96.8 points per game.
On average, Utah scores 94.4 points per home game (ranked 29th), while Indiana gives up 98.4 points per away game (ranked seventh).
The Utah Jazz have a winning record (8-2) when their opponents score fewer than 100 points this season. The Indiana Pacers are 3-4 when they don’t hit triple digits.
Utah is winless (0-7) in games where it allows 100 or more points, while Indiana is 9-2 when it reaches the century mark.
The Jazz have an offensive rating of 101.2 (ranked 19th). The Pacers rank fifth for their defensive rating of 97.5.
Indiana beats Utah in both possessions per game and points per possession. The Pacers average 99.2 possessions and 1.032 points per possession, while the Jazz average 94.8 possessions with 1.012 points per possession.
The Indiana Pacers average an effective field goal percentage of 49.8% this season. The Utah Jazz have a poor record of 2-5 when opponents have an EFF% of 49.8% or greater.
Utah makes an average of 17.9 assists per game (ranked 30th). Indiana ranks higher in assists with 20.8 (ranked 17th).
The Utah Jazz average 5.7 blocks per game for a rank of 11th. The Indiana Pacers rank lower (22nd), earning 4.4 blocks each game.
The Utah Jazz rank ninth in offensive rebounding, while the Indiana Pacers rank 20th in defensive rebounding.
Indiana averages 9.1 steals per game, ranking fifth in the league. Utah is a losing 3-5 when it allows at least 9 steals.
