The Utah Jazz travel to the FTX Arena to do battle with the Miami Heat on Monday night.
The Utah Jazz have been in a rut as they’ve split their last eight games, but they will be aiming for a third straight victory here after beating the Hornets in a 119-111 road win on Saturday. Talen Horton-Tucker added 37 points with eight rebounds and 10 assists, Kelly Olynyk and Walker Kessler each scored 17 points while Lauri Markkanen chipped in with 13 points and 13 rebounds. As a team, the Jazz shot 44 percent from the field and nine of 32 from the 3-point line as they held the Hornets to just 20 points in the second quarter to take a nine-point lead into halftime which ballooned to 23 points in the third quarter where the Jazz exploded for 39 points. Markkanen had a night to forget as he shot just three of 22 from the field and one of nine from the 3-point line.
Meanwhile, the Miami Heat have been in decent shape as they’ve won three of their past five games, but they will be looking to bounce back here after coming up painfully short to the Magic in a 126-124 overtime road loss on Saturday. Jimmy Butler led the team with 38 points on 14 of 25 shooting, Bam Adebayo added 14 points with seven rebounds and three assists while Gabe Vincent chipped in with 13 points. As a team, the Heat shot 44 percent from the field and 11 of 37 from the 3-point line as they clawed their way back from a 15-point deficit to extend the game thanks to a clutch 3-pointer from Butler at the buzzer, only to get blown away in overtime where they managed just six points.
Looking at the betting trends, the Jazz are 6-2-1 ATS in their last nine road games, 2-0-2 ATS in their last four games against a team with a winning record and 7-3-2 ATS in their last 12 games overall. The Heat are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 home games, 7-20-1 ATS in their last 28 games against a team with a losing record and 4-13 ATS in their last 17 games overall.
Hea to head, the over is 4-0 in the last four meetings overall and the Jazz are 0-4 ATS in the last four meetings overall.
The Jazz are still missing Collin Sexton who is out and Jordan Clarkson is listed as questionable, while the Heat are keeping eyes on Kyle Lowry and Caleb Martin who are both questionable. The Jazz have been well below their best lately, but they’re starting to heat up with a couple of wins on the trot and they are a solid 6-2-1 ATS in their last nine road games. The Heat will be kicking themselves after dropping a close game to the Magic in their last outing and they are only 2-8 ATS in their last 10 home games and 4-13 ATS in their last 17 games overall. This is a tough one to pick, but while I have the Heat getting the win, I think the Jazz with the points is the play in what should be a close one.
AUTHOR: Peter Tran
