Wasn’t it that the Utah Jazz was left for dead just a few weeks ago but now the tides have turned, being the hottest team in the NBA and are streaking up the Western Conference standings. Their success can be attributed to their new found ability to be victorious on the road, something that had plagued them earlier. The Boston Celtics are trying to make their way up the Eastern Conference ladder, sitting in seventh place but just a half-game behind No. 4 spot.
Utah Jazz at Boston Celtics
When: 7:30 PM ET, Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Where: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
The NBA Playoffs Odds has the Celtics opened as 3.5-point favorites as seen on several online sports book sites. Line shoppers should check out Sportsbook.com and other sites for the best possible lines available.
Utah Jazz (27-23)
Utah was two games under .500 after their loss to Phoenix on March 14 but has since won eight of nine to climb into seventh place in the West. The Jazz are only one-half game ahead of the ninth-place Houston Rockets but are also only 1 ½ games behind the fourth-place Clippers. The struggle for Utah was on the road, where the team is 8-17. Three of those eight wins have come in their last four chances, including a 105-84 win at New Jersey last Monday.
Utah’s only loss in its last four road games came in quadruple overtime on Sunday in Atlanta.
Boston Celtics (27-22)
Boston has squandered a pair of head-to-head chances to leap past the Philadelphia 76ers in the Atlantic Division. The difference between the first and second in the division is the No. 4 and 7 spots in the East, meaning home court advantage and the chance to avoid the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls in the first round. The Celtics have won four of their last five to stay within one-half game of the 76ers. Rajon Rondo managed to get a record double-digit assists in 10 straight games and is spreading the ball around to several different scorers. Paul Pierce took his turn to lead the team on Monday, collecting 36 points and 10 rebounds in a 102-95 win at Charlotte.
Boston has taken two straight and three of four in the series.
Ray Allen, G, missed three straight games due to an ankle injury but could return on Wednesday.
NBA Playoffs Odds Predictions: Celtics 102, Jazz 97
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