Through 1 Quarter
The Utah Jazz can’t call it a day yet, but they are winning as expected. They have emerged as the frontrunner after one quarter and are ahead of the Brooklyn Nets 33-24.
The Jazz haven’t had any offensive standouts so far with all players held to six points or fewer. Brooklyn has enjoyed the tag-team combination of center Blake Griffin and shooting guard Cameron Thomas. The former has seven points and two assists along with three boards, while the latter has seven points.
This is the first time Utah has been ahead going into the second quarter in the past seven games.
Who’s Playing
Brooklyn @ Utah
Current Records: Brooklyn 29-22; Utah 31-21
What to Know
The Utah Jazz are 9-3 against the Brooklyn Nets since January of 2016, and they’ll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Jazz will play host again and welcome Brooklyn to Vivint Arena, where tip-off is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET. Utah will be strutting in after a victory while the Nets will be stumbling in from a defeat.
On Wednesday, Utah narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past the Denver Nuggets 108-104. Among those leading the charge for Utah was shooting guard Trent Forrest, who had 18 points and eight assists.
Meanwhile, Brooklyn ended up a good deal behind the Sacramento Kings when they played on Wednesday, losing 112-101. The losing side was boosted by center Nicolas Claxton, who posted a double-double on 23 points and 11 rebounds along with five blocks. Claxton hadn’t helped his team much against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, so this was a nice turnaround for him. Claxton’s points were the most he has had all season.
The Jazz are the favorite in this one, with an expected 5.5-point margin of victory. Now might not be the best time to take Utah against the spread since they’ve let down bettors for the past four consecutive games.
Utah is now 31-21 while Brooklyn sits at 29-22. A couple offensive stats to keep an eye on: Utah enters the game with 113.4 points per game on average, good for second best in the league. Brooklyn has displayed some offensive firepower of their own as they rank third in the league when it comes to field goal percentage, with 47.20% on the season.
How To Watch
When: Friday at 9 p.m. ETWhere: Vivint Arena — Salt Lake City, UtahTV: ATTSN Rocky MountainOnline streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)Follow: CBS Sports AppTicket Cost: $44.00
Odds
The Jazz are a solid 5.5-point favorite against the Nets, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 5.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
Over/Under: -110
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Series History
Utah have won nine out of their last 12 games against Brooklyn.
Mar 24, 2021 – Utah 118 vs. Brooklyn 88Jan 05, 2021 – Brooklyn 130 vs. Utah 96Jan 14, 2020 – Utah 118 vs. Brooklyn 107Nov 12, 2019 – Utah 119 vs. Brooklyn 114Mar 16, 2019 – Utah 114 vs. Brooklyn 98Nov 28, 2018 – Utah 101 vs. Brooklyn 91Nov 17, 2017 – Brooklyn 118 vs. Utah 107Nov 11, 2017 – Utah 114 vs. Brooklyn 106Mar 03, 2017 – Utah 112 vs. Brooklyn 97Jan 02, 2017 – Utah 101 vs. Brooklyn 89Feb 27, 2016 – Brooklyn 98 vs. Utah 96Jan 22, 2016 – Utah 108 vs. Brooklyn 86
Injury Report for Utah
Rudy Gay: Game-Time Decision (Knee)Rudy Gobert: Out (Calf)Jordan Clarkson: Out (Knee)Danuel House Jr.: Out (Covid-19)Joe Ingles: Out for the Season (Knee)
Injury Report for Brooklyn
Paul Millsap: Out (Personal)James Harden: Out (Hamstring)LaMarcus Aldridge: Out (Ankle)Joe Harris: Out (Ankle)Kevin Durant: Out (Knee)
