Boston Celtics will host Utah Jazz in Wednesday’s action of the NBA 2021-22. The hosts are enjoying a successful run, and they look forward to extending it. The away side slipped from the winning track in the latest game, and they will search for the way back.
Boston is still in the game for the pole position in its division, and they don’t want to give up on that accomplishment. Therefore, the home side needs to pick up where it left off. On the other hand, Utah tops its division, but the visitors should quickly bounce back after the latest defeat to keep their position intact.
Boston Celtics – Can they extend their winning run?
The Celtics have enjoyed a very good run since they booked four straight victories. This streak helped them stay competitive in the pole position race, and they hope the 76ers will have a hiccup soon. Boston is 2nd in the Atlantic Division with a 45-28 record, and although they have one win more than Philadelphia, their rivals have two games in hand. The Celtics return to the home court after a perfect tour and four straight wins away from home. They were better than the Oklahoma City Thunder 132-123 in their most recent match, with Jayson Tatum scoring 36 points, seven rebounds, six assists, a pair of steals, and a block for 39 minutes in the game.
Jayson Tatum has been the most productive player for the Celtics this season, averaging 27 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and one steal per contest. Jaylen Brown contributes with 23.2 pts, 6.1 rebs, 3.2 assists, and 1.1 steals, while Marcus Smart produces 12.1 points and 5.7 assists per match. Derrick White and Al Horford managed to reach a double-digit number of points, having ten per game, while Robert Williams III controls the paint with 9.6 rebounds per contest. However, the Celtics will have a couple of selection issues ahead of this match since Marcus Smart and Robert Williams III are listed as questionable.
Expected Line-Up: Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, Daniel Theis
with best odds
Utah Jazz – Will they book a road win?
The Jazz’s three-game winning streak ended last time since they suffered a 114-106 defeat away to the Brooklyn Nets. Their opponents had a great field goal percentage, while they didn’t have a solution to stop Kevin Durant from scoring 37 points, followed by nine rebounds, eight assists, and a steal. Nevertheless, Utah still sits on the top of the Northwest Division with a 45-27 record, being two wins ahead of the Denver Nuggets and having a game in hand. However, the Jazz should stabilize its form to stay in the current position.
Donovan Mitchell has led the Jazz’s offense with 26 points, 5.4 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game on average. Bojan Bogdanovic contributes with 18.1 pts and 4.3 rebs, while Jordan Clarkson averages 16.2 points and 3.4 rebounds per match. Rudy Gobert produces 15.4 points per contest while being the most dominant player in the paint, with 14.5 rebs and 2.2 blocks per game. Regarding the selection issues, Utah will definitely miss Bojan Bogdanovic, Danuel House Jr., and Udoka Azubuike in this encounter.
Expected Line-Up: Mike Conley, Donovan Mitchell, Trent Forrest, Royce O’Neale, Rudy Gobert
Expert Pick #1 – Boston Celtics -5 @-110
Boston has been pretty dominant over the past few weeks, and they celebrated their last five wins by an average of 15.4 points. Although it’s tempting to take the Jazz as a dog in this one, I believe the Celtics will continue in the same fashion. Therefore, I’ll take the home side ATS as my first pick.
Expert Pick #2 – Under 219.5 @-110
Both teams have been involved in low-scoring matches recently, and this one might follow the same trend. The last six Utah’s road games stayed under the margin, while the Under cashed seven times in the Celtics’ previous ten matches. Give me the Under as the second bet.
Expert Pick #3 – Utah Jazz Under 107.5 @-115
The Jazz will need to cope with Bojan Bogdanovic’s absence, and he has been the second-most efficient player on the team. Since Boston has a disciplined defense, I believe the hosts will hold their opponents under a 107.5 margin. I’ll take this one as the third pick at slightly lower odds than the first two
