Half-time report
After a tough road loss in their last outing, the Jazz look much better today on their home court. A victory is still up for grabs for either team after two quarters, but the Jazz lead 71-69 over the 76ers. The final promises to be the last face-to-face of these teams, which was decided by only three points.
The Jazz came into the match with extra motivation after the defeat inflicted on them in the last meeting between these two teams. We’ll see if they are able to flip the script or if it will just be more of the same.
Who’s playing
Philadelphia 76ers @ Utah Jazz
Current records: Philadelphia 11-17, Utah 7-22
How to watch
- When: Saturday December 28, 2024 at 9:30 p.m. ET
- Or: Delta Center – Salt Lake City, Utah
- TV: KJZZ-TV 14
- Follow: CBS Sports app
- Online broadcast: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket cost: $20.00
What you need to know
After five games on the road, the Jazz return home. They and the Philadelphia 76ers will close out the year against each other at 9:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at the Delta Center. The Jazz should lose this one by 6.5 points, so we’ll see if that gives them some motivation.
The Jazz head into the game after suffering their closest defeat since October 23 on Thursday. They lost 122-120 to the Trail Blazers on a last-minute jump shot by Scoot Henderson. The loss hurt even more as Utah led 70-55 with 8:21 left in the third.
The losing team was bolstered by Lauri Markkanen, who went 8 of 14 en route to 25 points plus six rebounds and three steals.
Meanwhile, while it wasn’t a dominant performance, the 76ers beat the Celtics 118-114 on Wednesday. The win made it back-to-back wins for Philadelphia.
Several players had strong performances to lead the 76ers to victory, but perhaps none more than Tyrese Maxey, who had a double-double with 33 points and 12 assists. Maxey’s night made it three straight games in which he scored at least 30 points. The team also got help from Caleb Martin, who went 7 of 9 from beyond the arc en route to 23 points.
Even though they won, the 76ers struggled to get the ball on offense and finished the game with only five offensive rebounds. They’re 1-2 when they can’t control their own glass like that.
Utah has struggled recently as it has lost 14 of its last 18 games, which took a major dent in its 7-22 record this season. As for Philadelphia, they’ve been on a roll lately: they’ve won four of their last five games, which is a nice improvement to their 11-17 record this season.
While only the 76ers took care of their fans in their last game, both teams pleased bettors by covering the spread. Looking ahead, the 76ers are the favorites as experts expect them to win by 6.5 points. This contest will be Utah’s 22nd in a row as an underdog (so far in that stretch, they’re 11-10 ATS).
The Jazz failed to finish off the 76ers in their previous game in February and fell 127-124. A big factor in the loss was the dominant performance of Maxey, who went 7 of 9 from beyond the arc en route to 51 points. Back in force, will Jazz be able to stop it this time? Check CBSSports.com after the game to find out.
Odds
Philadelphia is a solid 6.5-point favorite against Utah, according to the latest NBA Odds.
Oddsmakers had a good idea of the line for this one, as the game opened with the 76ers as 6-point favorites.
The over/under is 223 points.
See NBA Pick for every game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get Picks Now.
History of the series
Utah and Philadelphia both have 5 wins in their last 10 games.
- February 1, 2024 – Philadelphia 127 against. Utah 124
- January 6, 2024 – Utah 120 vs. Philadelphia 109
- January 14, 2023 – Philadelphia 118 against. Utah 117
- November 13, 2022 – Philadelphia 105 vs. Utah 98
- December 9, 2021 – Utah 118 against. Philadelphia 96
- November 16, 2021 – Utah 120 vs. Philadelphia 85
- March 3, 2021 – Philadelphia 131 against. Utah 123
- February 15, 2021 – Utah 134 vs. Philadelphia 123
- December 2, 2019 – Philadelphia 103 against. Utah 94
- November 6, 2019 – Utah 106 against. Philadelphia 104
