Utah Jazz (17-15) at Cleveland Cavaliers (20-11)
The Jazz are looking to respond on Tuesday after a disappointing 26 pt loss against the Bucks in Milwaukee. It continues a poor stretch away from home as they've now lost 5 straight. With their next 2 games on the road, they'll need to figure out it quickly. In this matchup, Lauri Markkanen will face his former side after an offseason trade and he's now one of the Jazz's most important players. Colin Sexton is still out with an injury so their bench rotation will continue to get more playing time.
The Cavs are on 3 game winning streak and have both games on this 6-game homestand so far. They held off the Mavs by a point in OT on Sunday and Donovan Mitchell comes off 25 pts. He'll be fired up on Tuesday as he faces his former team for the first time since the offseason trade. He's one of the main reasons why the Cavs are in the playoff race and he'll look to continue his stellar season in this one.
The Donovan Mitchell against his former team storyline looks to be a good play. He's coming off 40+ pts in 2 of his last 5 games and there's no doubt he'll be getting 30+ shots. So we like his chances to get over the 30-point mark and lead his Cavs to a victory.
Stadium Record
Cleveland are 9-1 in their last 10 at home. Utah holds a poor 6-12 record at this venue.
Head to Head Record
The Jazz are 7-3 in the last 10 meetings but the Cavs beat them by 20 pts in January.
Best Bet
Player points - D. Mitchell 30+
Milwaukee Bucks (21-8) at New Orleans Pelicans (18-11)
The Bucks are coming off a huge 26-point win over the Jazz and that's despite playing without Giannis / Middleton. Giannis is expected to return for this clash after a few days' rest and his matchup with Zion will be one to watch. However, Middleton is on the injury list again as he's struggling with a knee issue. In other team news, Aussie Joe Ingles is expected to make his long-awaited return from injury and will likely be on a minutes restriction off the bench.
The Pelicans have lost 3 on the trot and will look to improve against the Bucks. They're coming off a disappointing loss in Phoenix as they led by 24 at one stage and they couldn't stop Devin Booker (58 pts). However, their form is much better at home as they've won 9 of their last 10 and that includes 7 straight wins. Zion is coming off 30 pts against the Suns and CJ McCollum added 27 pts. Without Brandon Ingram, the Pelicans duo will be the key against the Bucks on offence.
The key in this matchup should be home-court advantage where the Pelicans can likely bounce back. They're 4-1 ATS at home and have won 17 of their last 20 against the Bucks. Meanwhile, the Bucks are just 1-5-2 ATS on the road and Giannis is coming off a knee injury.
Stadium Record
New Orleans have won 7 straight games on their home court. Milwaukee has lost 17 of their last 20 in New Orleans.
Head to Head Record
Since 2017, the Bucks just lead the head-to-head 6-4.
Best Bet
Portland Trail Blazers (17-13) at Oklahoma City Thunder (12-18)
The Trail Blazers head to Oklahoma City in good form having won 4 of their last 5 games. They have 3 games left on this road trip and have won 2 of 3 so far. On Sunday, they beat the Rockets by 12 pts and Anfernee Simons continued to impress with a team-high 32 pts. He was well supported by Damian Lillard (25 pts).
The injury-riddled Thunder comes off a great win over the Grizzlies at home on Sunday, 115-109. Without Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey, Dort and Joe led the way with 20+ pts each. With their next 2 games against Portland, they'll look to continue the momentum on Tuesday. However, Gilgeous-Alexander and Giddey are both out for this contest as well. So that will open up more opportunities for their bench players.
The Thunder are playing well at home and despite missing key starters, they should be able to keep this one within reach. They're 4-1 ATS in their last 5 at home and 6-3 ATS against the Trail Blazers.
Stadium Record
Oklahoma City holds a 3-2 record in their last 5 home games. Portland has lost 6 of their last 9 at this venue.
Head to Head Record
The Thunder have a good record against the Trail Blazers with 7 wins in the last 10 meetings.
Best Bet
