Home Still Golden
The Utah Jazz have been struggling since early December, but at home, they are enjoying plenty of success.
The Jazz open a four-game homestand Tuesday against the Indiana Pacers, looking to bounce back from another difficult loss.
Oddsmakers from SBG Global have made Utah –8.5 point spread favorites (NBA Odds) for today’s game, the over/under has been set at 212 total points (Matchup). Our public betting information shows that 58% of bets for this game have been placed on Indiana +8.5 (View NBA Bet Percentages).
Utah (18-17) fell 103-89 to the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday in a bid for its third straight win. The Jazz began the season 13-5, but have since gone 5-12. Eleven of those games were on the road, however, and Utah hopes a favorable stretch over the remainder of the month will provide a chance to regain some momentum.
Eight of the Jazz’s next 11 games in January are at home, where they are 12-3 and have outscored opponents by an average of 11.9 points.
Utah is looking to bounce back from one if its worst offensive games of the season. The Jazz, who average 104.5 points, tied a season low with 89 points Saturday and were outscored 27-13 at the foul line.
Deron Williams scored 23 points and Mehmet Okur added 15, but leading scorer Carlos Boozer was held to a season-low six on 3-of-16 shooting. Andrei Kirilenko, who averages 11.5 points and 6.0 rebounds, did not make the trip because of lower back inflammation.
"For what we know, the tests have been OK, so we’ll just have to go from there," said coach Jerry Sloan, who had no timetable for Kirilenko’s return.
This is the final meeting between Utah and Indiana (16-19). The Pacers won 117-97 on Nov. 17, and are looking to sweep the series for the second time in three seasons.
Indiana opened its five-game road trip with a 112-96 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday – its sixth loss in the last seven games. The Pacers play eight of their next 10 on the road, where they are 8-10 and have dropped five straight.
They trailed by two at the end of the first half, but were outscored 35-19 in the third quarter. After a brief charge against the Lakers’ reserves to close within seven midway through the fourth quarter, the Pacers allowed 16 straight points.
Mike Dunleavy scored 17 points and Danny Granger added 14. Jamaal Tinsley, who is averaging 13.8 points, missed his fifth straight game due to a sore hamstring. The Pacers are hoping he’ll be able to return sometime during this road trip.
"It’s rough. We were two games above .500 (on Dec. 22), and the next thing you know, we’re three below," Granger said. "And now we have a rough stretch coming up, playing against all these West Coast teams."
The Pacers, who are 7-8 versus the West, continue their road trip Wednesday against Phoenix before back-to-back games at Sacramento and Golden State beginning Saturday.
The Jazz won the last meeting in Salt Lake City after losing the previous three. They have won 10 of the last 15 there.
By: Marc Young – theSpread.com – Email Us
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