Monday's FREE NBA Money Play -
1 STAR SELECTION (3.5% of Bankroll)
UTAH -2.5 over New Jersey
The Utah Jazz try to extend their home winning streak to seven games tonight when they continue a five-game homestand against the New Jersey Nets, who open a four-game road trip at the Delta Center. The Jazz have won their last six games at home and are 14-4 at the Delta Center this season. They Utah improved to 2-0 on their current homestand with a 95-78 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday in a PRO INFO SPORTS winning selection. Meanwhile, New Jersey has split its last four games, with both victories coming against the lowly Toronto Raptors. The Nets have won five of their last six games on the road to improve to 9-9 away from Continental Airlines Arena this season.
Utah and New Jersey split two meetings last season, with each team winning on the road; however, the Jazz have dominated the series SU, going 11-1 against the Nets in their last dozen meetings. Utah, one of the biggest surprises of the young season, has garnered the fifth-best record in the rugged Western Conference, while New Jersey sits atop the Atlantic by 5 1/2 games. It would seem the Nets have put their game into cruise control as of late as they are off a less-than-impressive effort, shooting just 39 percent from the field and eight percent from long distance (1-of-12). The difference in the game turned out to be the Nets' defense, which forced 30 Toronto turnovers, but they certainly can't count on John Stockton and the Jazz being that careless with the basketball here. Off a game in which both teams shot under 40% this season, the Nets are 0-2 ATS, losing to the spread by 11 points a game. Utah, on the other hand, is a perfect 3-0 ATS vs. such foes this season, and 9-2 ATS overall in their last 11 chances.
The Jazz continue to overachieve and they are in a prime spot to continue their solid play, rested off a home win in the midst of a homestand. They are 2-0 ATS at home on Mondays, 4-0 ATS as home Monday favorites, and 10-4 ATS overall at home on Mondays, while the Nets are just 1-4 ATS in their last 5 Monday road tilts. We are getting some line value here as the Jazz are buried in the extremely deep West, while the Nets stand out in the relatively weak East. This should serve as a statement game for Utah, and they won't be caught by surprise this year as they were last.
PROJECTED FINAL SCORE: UTAH 96 NEW JERSEY 90
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