3rd quarter report
Only a quarter remains between the Cavaliers and the victory they were favored to achieve tonight. They have a bit of a lead as they currently lead the Jazz 99-88.
The Cavaliers came into the game having won four straight and are only a quarter back. Will they make it five, or will the Jazz step in and ruin it? We will know soon.
Who’s playing
Utah Jazz @Cleveland Cavaliers
Current records: Utah 7-20, Cleveland 25-4
How to watch
- When: Monday, December 23, 2024 at 7 p.m. ET
- Or: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse – Cleveland, Ohio
- TV: FanDuel SN – Ohio
- Follow: CBS Sports app
- Online broadcast: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket cost: $43.84
What you need to know
Jazz fans better hope the team plays one heck of a game on Monday, because the odds are decidedly against them. Their road trip will continue as they take on the Cleveland Cavaliers at 7 p.m. ET at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. The Jazz may want some stickum for this one since the team allowed 18 turnovers on Saturday.
The Jazz are headed into this one after bettors pegged last week’s low/under at 220.5, but even that proved too high. They won against the Nets by a score of 105-94.
Meanwhile, the Cavaliers had already won three straight (a stretch in which they outscored their opponents by an average of 20.7 points) and they took the lead and made it four on Saturday. They hurt Philadelphia with a clear 126-99 victory. Cleveland has made a habit of putting opponents off the field, having won nine games by 19 points or more this season.
The Cavaliers can attribute much of their success to Evan Mobley, who had a double-double with 22 points and 13 rebounds, and Darius Garland, who went 6-for-7 from beyond the arc in road to 26 points plus five rebounds. The dominant performance also gave Garland a new career high in three-point shooting accuracy (85.7%).
The Cavaliers worked as a unit and finished the game with 31 assists. This strong performance was nothing new for the team: they have now recorded at least 25 assists in eight consecutive games.
Utah’s victory improved its record to 7-20. As for Cleveland, their victory was their sixth straight at home, which improved their record to 25-4.
Both have pleased fans and bettors in their last few matches by winning and covering the spread. Looking ahead, the Cavaliers are probably looking forward to this one given their 14th advantage in the spread. This contest will be Utah’s 20th straight as an underdog (so far in that stretch, they’re 9-10 ATS).
The Jazz found themselves well behind the Cavaliers in the teams’ last game in April, losing 129-113. Will the Jazz be able to avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We’ll know soon enough.
Odds
Cleveland is a big 14-point favorite against Utah, according to the latest NBA Odds.
The punters were perfectly in tune with the betting community on this point, as the game opened with a 14-point gap and stayed there.
The over/under is 232.5 points.
See NBA Pick for every game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get Picks Now.
History of the series
Utah has won 6 of its last 10 games against Cleveland.
- April 2, 2024 – Cleveland 129 vs. Utah 113
- December 20, 2023 – Cleveland 124 vs. Utah 116
- January 10, 2023 – Utah 116 vs. Cleveland 114
- December 19, 2022 – Cleveland 122 vs. Utah 99
- January 12, 2022 – Cleveland 111 vs. Utah 91
- December 05, 2021 – Utah 109 vs. Cleveland 108
- March 29, 2021 – Utah 114 vs. Cleveland 75
- January 12, 2021 – Utah 117 vs. Cleveland 87
- March 2, 2020 – Utah 126 vs. Cleveland 113
- January 18, 2019 – Utah 115 vs. Cleveland 99
