Utah Jazz (45-27) at Boston Celtics (45-28)
The Jazz continue their road trip to Boston on Thursday and will look to bounce back after a 114-106 loss against the Nets on Tuesday. They did well to come back from a 21 pt deficit but overall, they were outplayed. However, Donovan Mitchell hit the 30 point mark and Jordan Clarkson continued his shooting form with 19 pts. This is another challenging matchup for the Jazz and their defence will need to on against the likes of Tatum and Brown.
The Celtics return home after a very successful 4-0 road trip that included 3 wins by 20 or more points. They smashed the Warriors by 22, the Kings by 29 and Nuggets by 20. Suddenly, the Celtics are a legit chance of winning the East if this form continues into the playoffs. Their defence is just elite as they're allowing just 101 points per game in their last 5. Meanwhile, Tatum and Brown are the keys with the ball in their hands. Tatum comes off 36 pts against the Thunder and Brown added 25.
This should be a tightly contested matchup and we do like the chances of the Under. The Jazz have gone Under the total in 9 of their last 11 games. The Under is also 6-2 when these sides meet at TD Garden.
Stadium Record
Boston holds a 9-2 home record in their last 11. Utah has lost 9 of their last 13 in Boston.
Head to Head Record
The Jazz have won 7 of the last 10 meetings, including a 137-130 victory in December.
Best Bet
Brooklyn Nets (38-34) at Memphis Grizzlies (49-23)
The Nets are looking for a third straight win when they head to Memphis on Thursday. They beat the Jazz 114-06 on Tuesday as Kevin Durant fired with 37 pts. They'll also be boosted by the return of Kyrie Irving on this short road trip. However, they have a few injury concerns with Seth Curry and Dragic both listed as questionable for Thursday's matchup.
Memphis has won 4 of their last 5 games and come off a 24 pt thrashing of the lowly Rockets. However, they will be missing their star player - Ja Morant - for this matchup. He's out with a knee injury so the Grizzlies will look to stand up as a team to beat the Nets. They have been strong at home lately with 8 wins in their last 10 so they should be confident.
This total looks a bit too high considering Morant is out and the Nets have a few injury concerns relating to some of their shooters. The two sides also totalled 222 pts in the earlier season meeting.
Stadium Record
The Grizzlies are 8-1 at home. The Nets have won 3 of their last 5 games in Memphis.
Head to Head Record
Memphis won the earlier season meeting 118-104 and hold a 6-4 record in the last 10.
Best Bet
Phoenix Suns (58-14) at Minnesota Timberwolves (42-31)
The Suns have won 5 straight games and will head to Minnesota with confidence despite missing Paul and Cam Johnson. Devin Booker comes off scoring 31 pts against the Kings as the Suns overcame a 14 pt deficit to win in OT, 127-124. Their road form has been excellent lately with 5 straight wins and a 9-1 record in their last 10 games. Without Chris Paul, the offence is still firing as they're scoring 131 points per game in this 5 game winning streak.
Meanwhile, the Timberwolves 3 game winning streak ended on Tuesday in a close 110-108 result against the Mavericks. They struggled from the field with just 39% so they'll need to improve against the #1 seeded Suns. However, they have won their last 6 home games and that includes a recent 138-119 over the defending champs. In terms of injuries, Towns is still questionable but has played the last few games through injury.
Betting on the Suns is a safe bet at the moment and we like their road form to continue in Minnesota. They're 4-1 at this venue and have won both meetings against the T-Wolves this season.
Stadium Record
The Timberwolves are a perfect 6-0 in their last 6 games at home. The Suns are 4-1 in their last 5 games at this venue.
Head to Head Record
Phoenix has won 7 of the last 10 meetings and beat the T-Wolves by 10 pts in late January.
Best Bet
