Philadelphia at Utah
Time: 9 PM ET, Feb 12, 2014
Spread: UTA -7.5
Total: 202
Betting odds courtesy of Bovada
Things have been going pretty awful for the 15-38 Philadelphia 76ers. The team has been horrible and played uninspired ball, and as a result the 76ers have dropped seven straight contests. The team wasn’t particularly close at all in the past two, losing by 45 points to the L.A. Clippers and by 43 to the Golden State Warriors. NBA oddsmakers have taken notice, as the 76ers face one of the worst teams in the West and still find itself underdogs. The Utah Jazz will be 7.5 point favorites at home against the struggling Sixers.
The Sixers defense has been nearly nonexistent this season, and the team is surrendering 110 points per game (worst in NBA). Offensively, the Sixers have been passable, but being average on offense and abysmal on defense doesn’t result in a lot of victories.
Michael Carter-Williams is looking as though he is the toast of the 2013 draft class, weak though it was. Carter-Williams is averaging 17.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game and is at this point the leading candidate for Rookie of the Year. The Sixers have some good perimeter talent in Evan Turner and Thaddeus Young, but either or both could be moved by the trade deadline.
The team is still awaiting on the debut of its injured rookie Nerlens Noel. Noel was projected to be the No. 1 overall pick before badly injuring his ACL at Kentucky. The Sixers still feel as though he may be the best, or second best, rookie in the class, which would give the team a heist from that draft class. Factor in what is going to be likely a top-five pick in the 2014 class, and the Sixers may be rebuilt quicker than expected. But that is all hopes hinging on two rookies continued development and an unknown pick, and right now the Sixers are just trying to be competitive.
The Utah Jazz have won two straight with an improbable 94-89 win over the Miami Heat on Feb 8 and a 96-79 victory over the L.A. Lakers last night (Feb 11). The Jazz got a great game from Alec Burks off the bench, who shot 8-of-11 from the floor and 7-of-11 from the stripe en route to a team-high 24 points. Burks performance offset poor shooting from the starting Jazz backcourt of Trey Burke and Gordon Hayward, who combined to hit just 8-of-24 from the floor. Enes Kanter played well off the bench, grabbing 11 rebounds and scoring six points. The Jazz are looking for continued development from Kanter before re-inserting him into the starting lineup next to Derrick Favors. Favors has evolved into a double-double machine, but the Jazz may have higher hopes still for the athletic forward.
The Jazz are 11-14 at home and should be able to net a victory against the struggling Sixers team. Gordon Hayward has been a little off his last 10 games, averaging 13 points per game and six boards. He’s a restricted free agent at season’s end and will draw significant interest from suitors around the league. The Jazz elected not to sign the Butler product to an extension before the season, and he’s had a breakout year, averaging 16.3 points, 5.0 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game. If the Jazz aren’t satisfied with that all-around play, some other team most certainly will be.
PHI Trends: 0-4 ATS in last 4 after allowing 100 or more in previous game; OVER 5-0 in last 5 vs teams with losing SU Records; UNDER 4-0-1 in last 5 following SU loss of 10 points or more.
UTA Trends: UNDER 4-0-1 in last 5 following ATS win; OVER 3-0-1 in last 4 home games vs teams with losing road records; UNDER 6-0-1 in last 7 when opponent allows 100 or more in previous game.
Head-to-head: OVER 5-0 in last 5 meetings; 76ers 0-5 ATS in last 5 in Utah; OVER 5-1 in last 6 meetings in Utah.
