The 18-43 Jazz will host the 33-28 76ers tonight. The Sixers are playing on the second half of a back to back set and will be without Joel Embiid, Paul George, and VJ Edgecombe. The Jazz will be without most of their starters, losing Walker Kessler, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Jusuf Nurkic for the season. Lauri Markkanen will be sidelined, as well.
The 76ers are 8.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook with the total for this game set at 223.5 points.
Jazz vs. 76ers prediction, preview
Philadelphia’s season has been a constant struggle between its ceiling and its availability, and tonight is another spot in which Tyrese Maxey will have to hold it down on his own. The Sixers on the season are 33–28, but they’re coming in off a 131–91 humiliation against San Antonio where they were already without Joel Embiid and Paul George, then lost VJ Edgecombe midgame after a hard fall. Maxey will handle the majority of the offense tonight even if he didn’t have the best night last night, despite his opportunity: he posted 21 points on 8 for 19 shooting, but the Spurs’ defense was stifling. Edgecombe has already been ruled out of tonight’s contest. The recent efficiency trend has also tilted the wrong way for the Sixers: over their last 10, Philadelphia is at 110.3 OFFRTG with a 118.8 DEFRTG.
Utah’s season has been a disaster, depending on how you look at it. They’ve had some bright spots in Keyonte George’s massive improvement in both the counting stats and the efficiency, but their growing injury list is a big part of why their defense keeps leaking. It also doesn’t help that they’re missing all of their starters who can provide any semblance of rim protection. The Jazz are 18–43 and rolling into Philadelphia short-handed again, with the official report listing Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler, Jusuf Nurkić, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Vince Williams Jr. out. Even with that, their last-10 profile has been competitive in a messy way: 112.9 OFFRTG and 117.0 DEFRTG.
Jazz vs. 76ers pick, best bet
Best Bet: PHI 76ers -7.5
Due to how shorthanded the Jazz are, the Sixers will likely make easy work of the league’s worst defense. The Sixers will also likely look to bounce back aggressively after last night’s blowout loss, as their place in the East is far from cemented and they’re still vying for a playoff spot.
