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The Utah Jazz (10-17) will play at the Cleveland Cavaliers (15-12) on Wednesday, December 20. Cleveland is dealing with something of an injury crisis, which has led them to operate with a disjointed rotation for the past few games.
However, the Jazz have struggled to replicate the performances that made them such a compelling team last season. Donovan Mitchell will be facing off against his old team and could use that as motivation to produce a stellar performance on offense.
Utah Jazz vs. Cleveland Cavaliers: Game details, prediction and betting tips
Game Details
Teams: Utah Jazz (10-17) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (15-12)
Date and Time: Dec. 20, 2023 | 7:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Rocket Mortgage FeildHouse, Cleveland, Ohio
Utah Jazz vs. Cleveland Cavaliers: Preview
Darius Garland, Ty Jerome and Evan Mobley will all be missing from the Cleveland Cavaliers rotation due to injury. As such, the Cavaliers will be missing one of their best on-ball creators and one of their most dominant defensive forces when they face the Utah Jazz.
Will Hardy's team is without Jordan Clarkson, Keyonte George, and Omer Yurtseven. Without the volume scoring that Clarkson provides, Utah will need more from Lauri Markkanen, who has continued to prove himself as one of the best young forwards in the NBA.
Utah Jazz vs. Cleveland Cavaliers: Starting lineups
Based on the Cleveland Cavaliers' recent rotation, their starting lineup will likely be Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus, Isaac Okoro, Dean Wade and Jarrett Allen.
Strus has been a huge addition to Cleveland's rotation. His perimeter scoring and movement shooting have opened driving lanes for Mitchell and Darius Garland, making their life easier when pressuring the rim.
The Utah Jazz's starting lineup will likely be Colin Sexton, Talen Horton-Tucker, Simone Fontecchio, Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler.
Kessler's presence in the middle of the floor will give the Cavaliers a tough time; his size and length make him a perfect rim protector. Markkanen will be a difficult matchup for Cleveland, too, as his outside-in game causes defenses a significant amount of trouble.
Utah Jazz vs. Cleveland Cavaliers: Betting tips
Donovan Mitchell is -110 to score over 33.5 points against the Utah Jazz. The All-Star guard could get hot as he operates as Cleveland's featured scorer and goes up against his old team.
Simone Fontecchio is -120 to score under 9.5 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Jarrett Allen is currently averaging 8.3 rebounds per game. He's -125 to secure under 9.5 boards in Cleveland's game against Utah.
Max Strus is averaging 2.7 made threes per game. He's currently -172 to score over 2.5 threes against the Jazz.
Donovan Mitchell is +102 to convert over 3.5 threes for the Cavaliers.
Utah Jazz vs. Cleveland Cavaliers: Prediction
The Cleveland Cavaliers are considerable favorites to secure a win over the Utah Jazz. They're -6.5 on the spread (112) and -260 on the money line. Clearly, the oddsmakers don't think Cleveland's injury issues will hold them back when facing the rebuilding Western Conference team.
Utah will need to up their recent performance levels on defense if they want to contain Donovan Mitchell. Jarrett Allen's rim-running and athleticism will also be a big test for Kessler and Markkanen and could be a genuine deciding factor in the contest.
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