Utah Jazz vs Boston Celtics Prediction, 1/5/2024 Preview and Pick

Game: Utah Jazz vs Boston Celtics

Date: Friday, January 5, 2024

Location: TD Garden in Boston, MA

TV: NBC Sports Boston

Odds/Point Spread: Utah (+14)

TD Garden is where the Boston Celtics (26-7) will take on the Utah Jazz (16-19) on Friday. Boston opens this matchup as 14-point favorites. The over/under comes in at 231.5.

The Jazz stepped onto the hardwood against the Pistons and took home the win by a score of 154-148 in their last contest. Utah finished the contest having earned a 51.5% FG percentage (53 of 103) and made 16 of their 32 shots from distance. From the free throw line, the Jazz made 32 of 35 shots for a rate of 91.4%. In relation to hauling in rebounds, they earned 43 with 15 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 28 dimes for this contest as well as forcing the other team into 17 turnovers and earning 11 steals. When it comes to the defense, Utah allowed their opponent to shoot 53.3% from the field on 56 of 105 shooting. Detroit totaled 33 dimes and had 5 steals for the contest. Additionally, Detroit had 48 rebounds (16 offensive, 32 defensive) and added 8 blocks. Detroit ended up going 77.3% at the charity stripe by knocking down 17 of their 22 shots. They knocked down 19 out of their 41 tries from distance. When talking about fouls, the Jazz walked away with 22 and the Pistons finished the game with 27 fouls.

Jordan Clarkson is one guy who was a major contributor in the game. Clarkson went 55.0% from the floor and distributed 3 assists. He played 38 minutes and pulled down 6 rebounds. He scored 36 points on 11 out of 20 shooting.

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Utah comes into this one with a record of 16-19 so far this year. They turn it over 16.3 times per game and as a group they are committing 19.6 personal fouls per game. As a unit, Utah is grabbing 46.1 boards per contest and has racked up 965 dimes so far this season, which has them ranked 4th in the NBA in terms of passing the rock. The Jazz are connecting on 35.4% on 3-pointers (464 of 1,312) and 82.5% from the free throw line. They average 114.9 points per contest (16th in the league) while connecting on 46.0% from the field.

On the defensive end, the Jazz are forcing their opponents into 13.3 turnovers per game and they draw 19.4 fouls. They concede 37.8% on shots from downtown and they are ranked 23rd in the league in points per game allowed (118.8). The Jazz defense is giving up a FG percentage of 48.2% (1,543 of 3,200) and they surrender 42.4 boards per game as a basketball team. They currently rank 29th in the NBA in giving up assists with 995 surrendered this year.

The last time they took the hardwood, the Celtics took a defeat with a final score of 127-123 against the Thunder. The Celtics earned 30 defensive rebounds and 17 offensive boards totaling 47 for the matchup. They turned the ball over 14 times, while recording 7 steals in this matchup. The Thunder were called for 22 personal fouls in this matchup which got the Celtics to the free throw line for a total of 29 shots. They were able to make 24 of them for a rate of 82.8%. Pertaining to shots from 3-point land, Boston knocked down 15 of their 40 attempts (37.5%). At the conclusion of this game, the Celtics went 42 out of 92 from the floor which gave them a rate of 45.7%. The Celtics allowed the Thunder to knock down 48 of 91 attempts from the field which had them sitting at 52.7% for the contest. They finished 45.0% from distance by connecting on 18 out of 40 and walked away from this one shooting 13 out of 17 from the free throw line (76.5%). Regarding cleaning up the glass, Boston allowed Oklahoma City to pull down 38 overall (10 offensive).

Kristaps Porzingis ended up having an impact for the Celtics in this game. He converted 12 of 18 for the matchup for a rate of 66.7%, and totaled 10 rebounds. Porzingis totaled 34 points in his 35 mins on the hardwood and accounted for 2 dimes for the game.

Boston has a record of 26-7 this season. In terms of offensive execution, the Celtics are connecting on 48.2% from the field, which is ranked 9th in the league. Boston has totaled 3,987 points for the campaign (120.8 per contest) and they pull in 47.3 boards per game. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 26.1 times per game (17th in the NBA) and they cough up possession 13.1 times per contest. The Celtics are committing 17.2 personal fouls every game and they hit 80.6% from the charity stripe.

The Boston defense surrenders 36.9% on 3-point attempts (465 of 1,261) and their opposition knocks down 73.1% of their free throw attempts. They allow 24.7 dimes and 42.9 rebounds on a nightly basis, which has them ranked 4th and 11th in basketball. The Celtics on the defensive side of the court are 5th in basketball in points given up per game with 110.8. They are forcing 12.4 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 45.1% from the field (4th in basketball).

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Utah (+14)

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