The Utah Jazz are currently the top seed in the Western Conference, but the team has struggled as of late. Meanwhile, the Boston Celtics are playing some solid basketball right now, so the team will have momentum when these two meet for NBA betting action Tuesday, March 16 at 7:30 p.m. ET at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.
Will Brad Stevens’ group stay hot with a win over Utah? Continue reading our Jazz vs. Celtics picks and predictions to find out.
Utah Jazz at Boston Celtics betting preview
Injuries
Jazz: None.
Celtics: G Romeo Langford (out)
Find our latest NBA injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Over is 5-0 in Utah’s last five games as a road favorite. Find more NBA betting trends for Jazz vs. Celtics.
NBA sharp money and line movement report
By Patrick EversonUtah hit the FanDuel odds board as 5-point chalk Monday afternoon and is down to -4 as of 6:15 p.m. ET. It's two-way point-spread action, with 51 percent of tickets on the Jazz and 57 percent of money on the Celtics. The total opened at 227 and is now out to 229.5, with ticket count 3/1 and money 4/1 on the Over.
Check out the full line movement for this game
Against the spread (ATS) pick
The Celtics haven’t lived up to expectations this season, but they have won four of their last five games. They’re finally starting to turn things around, and it’s only going to get better with Marcus Smart back from injury. Smart makes an impact on both ends of the floor, and he is the engine of this Boston team. In a game like this, he’ll be amped up to try and help the Celtics make a statement. And his defensive services will be huge in a meeting with Donovan Mitchell, who lit the Celtics up in a Jazz victory back in February.
While Utah has been remarkable this season, the team has lost three of its last four games. The Jazz are somewhat vulnerable at the moment, and they now have to find a way to stop the Celtics’ wing duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Boston’s two All-Stars will have serious advantages in athleticism against Utah tonight, and it wouldn’t be shocking if the Celtics look to play to that a bit more than normal. If they can get out in transition, they might be able to get some easy buckets before the Jazz defense sets itself. The last thing Boston wants is to have its scorers attacking with Rudy Gobert ready in the paint. Brad Stevens will do whatever he can to make sure his team is doing its best to make Gobert uncomfortable.
Overall, the Celtics have a real shot at winning this game, so this seems like a lot of points for them to be getting at home.
PREDICTION: Celtics +4.5 (-110)
Over/Under pick
The last time the Jazz and Celtics met, the teams combined to score 230 points, so this total isn’t exactly out of reach. Utah is also coming off a meeting with Golden State in which 250 total points were scored, and six of Boston’s last seven games have reached at least 229 points. The Celtics are playing a bit better as of late, but they aren’t anywhere close to figuring out their defensive woes just yet. This should be a high-scoring game.
PREDICTION: Over 228.0 (-110)
Player prop pick
In the first meeting between these teams, Mitchell had 36 points on 12-of-23 shooting from the floor and 6-for-13 shooting from the outside. That was a tremendous performance for Utah’s star, but it was also one that likely isn’t repeatable tonight. Mitchell was scorching hot from the outside in that game, and it’s hard to imagine him being that good again in this one. That’s especially true when factoring in that Smart didn’t play in the first meeting between these teams.
Smart is one of the better defenders in the league and he should spend some time guarding Mitchell here. Also, Mike Conley didn’t play the last time these teams met, and he’s going to take the ball out of Mitchell’s hands quite a bit.
PREDICTION: Donovan Mitchell Under 25.5 Points (-114)
Jazz vs Celtics betting card
- Celtics +4.5 (-110)
- Over 228.0 (-110)
- Donovan Mitchell Under 25.5 Points (-114)
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