1st Quarter Report
The Celtics are on the road but looking no worse for wear. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead the Jazz 44-33.
If the Celtics keep playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 51-14 in no time. On the other hand, the Jazz will have to make due with a 28-37 record unless they turn things around.
Who’s Playing
Boston Celtics @ Utah Jazz
Current Records: Boston 50-14, Utah 28-36
How To Watch
- When: Tuesday, March 12, 2024 at 9 p.m. ET
- Where: Delta Center — Salt Lake City, Utah
- TV: KJZZ-TV 14
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $46.49
What to Know
The Jazz will be in front of their home fans on Tuesday, but a look at the spread shows they might need that home-court advantage. They will take on the Boston Celtics at 9:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
The Jazz lost a heartbreaker when they last took the court, but unfortunately for them the loss they were handed on on Saturday was a bit more commanding. They found themselves the reluctant recipients of a 142-121 punch to the gut against Denver. The Jazz were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 78-44.
Despite their defeat, the Jazz saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Keyonte George, who scored 29 points along with six assists and five rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. George didn’t help the Jazz’s cause all that much against the Wizards last Monday but the same can’t be said for this matchup.
Even though they lost, the Jazz smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds (they’re ranked third in offensive rebounds per game overall). They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as the Nuggets only pulled down five offensive rebounds.
Meanwhile, one look at the score and it should come as no surprise that the Celtics were far and away the favorite against the Trail Blazers. Everything went Boston’s way against the Trail Blazers on Monday as the Celtics made off with a 121-99 victory. The win made it back-to-back wins for the Celtics.
The Celtics’ success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Sam Hauser led the charge by going 6 for 10 from beyond the arc en route to 22 points and 0 assists. Hauser didn’t help the Celtics’ cause all that much against the Suns on Saturday but the same can’t be said for this match.
Utah’s loss was their seventh straight on the road, which dropped their record down to 28-36. As for Boston, they are on a roll lately: they’ve won 13 of their last 15 games, which provided a nice bump to their 50-14 record this season.
Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as the pair are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. The Jazz haven’t had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 117.7 points per game. However, it’s not like the Celtics (currently ranked third in scoring) struggle in that department as they’ve been averaging 120.8 points per game. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.
The Jazz might still be hurting after the devastating 126-97 loss they got from the Celtics when the teams last played back in January. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of the Celtics’ Jayson Tatum, who shot 5-for-8 from downtown and almost dropped a double-double on 30 points and nine rebounds. Now that the Jazz know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check CBSSports.com after the match to find out.
Odds
Boston is a solid 6.5-point favorite against Utah, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 6.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
The over/under is 231 points.
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Series History
Utah has won 6 out of their last 10 games against Boston.
- Jan 05, 2024 – Boston 126 vs. Utah 97
- Mar 31, 2023 – Boston 122 vs. Utah 114
- Mar 18, 2023 – Utah 118 vs. Boston 117
- Mar 23, 2022 – Boston 125 vs. Utah 97
- Dec 03, 2021 – Utah 137 vs. Boston 130
- Mar 16, 2021 – Utah 117 vs. Boston 109
- Feb 09, 2021 – Utah 122 vs. Boston 108
- Mar 06, 2020 – Utah 99 vs. Boston 94
- Feb 26, 2020 – Boston 114 vs. Utah 103
- Nov 17, 2018 – Utah 98 vs. Boston 86
