The Utah Jazz play poorly on the road as a general rule. The Philadelphia 76ers are playing terrible basketball at the present moment. Something will have to give in Friday’s contest. See how to make a pick on this game inside.
NBA Basketball Betting
– Utah vs. Philadelphia Picks
The 76ers find themselves as a 1.5-point favorite on the
basketball betting odds lines.
The Jazz can win because:
Their opponent is in a state of freefall right now. The
76ers are lost at sea without Andrew Bynum – the big man they acquired in a
series of trades in the offseason.
While the Sixers lost Andre Iguodala to Denver, Bynum
came to the team from the Los Angeles Lakers. The hope was that Bynum, freed
from the shadows of both Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, would become the
centerpiece of the Philadelphia roster and flourish in a situation where he was
the primary option at the offensive end of the floor. However, with Bynum out
of the lineup until December at the earliest due to lingering problems with his
right knee, the Sixers don't have the ingredients they need to be an upper-tier
team.
Philadelphia is getting whacked at home by opponents that
are mediocre at best. The Sixers have lost at home to the Milwaukee Bucks and
the Detroit Pistons this week already. The loss to Detroit gave the Pistons
their first win of the season in nine tries and it wasn't even particularly
close.
The Sixers are a mess and this is why Utah, for all of
its problems away from Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City, can grab a
rare road win. A long East Coast road trip early in the season is certainly
testing the Jazz, but they will play this game on Friday with a day of rest in
their pocket. They last played on Wednesday night in Boston against the
Celtics. Having a day of rest will give them a needed lift.
The 76ers can win because:
They're going to
be motivated to play well and because their opponent just doesn't close the
sale on the road.
The Jazz are 1-4
on the road so far this season and their only win came against the lowly
Toronto Raptors in a triple-overtime game that the Raptors nearly swiped on two
occasions. The Jazz trailed the Raptors by three points in the final seconds of
regulation but hit a tying triple with just under three seconds left to force
overtime. The Jazz were down by two points late in the first overtime period
but got a tying bucket in that situation as well. The Jazz are very talented
but they're young and are still at a point in their overall evolution where
they're learning how to conduct themselves over the course of a full season.
They're very much in a comfort zone at home but the grind of travel and the
lack of friendly energy in road arenas have proven to be very disruptive for
them on a consistent basis.
Philadelphia is
collectively embarrassed after its awful performance against Detroit on Wednesday.
The Sixers will make it a priority to bounce back, and that insistence is what
will probably carry Philadelphia to a needed win.
Outlook & NBA Basketball Betting Prediction: This is one of the more difficult NBA picks for tonight...
Philadelphia will be just desperate enough to outwork
Utah in critical situations. This should be a close game, with the Sixers
grabbing a few late loose balls to generate second-chance points and ultimately
top the Jazz.
NBA Basketball
Pick: Philadelphia -1.5 at Diamond
Good luck out there with todays sports picks!