Halftime Report
Down five at the end of the first quarter, the Jazz now have the lead. Sitting on a score of 50-45, they have looked like the better team, but there’s still two more quarters to play.
The Jazz have yet to string together two consecutive wins, but this may be their chance. For now, things are looking good for them.
Who’s Playing
Utah Jazz @ Brooklyn Nets
Current Records: Utah 6-20, Brooklyn 11-16
How To Watch
- When: Saturday, December 21, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. ET
- Where: Barclays Center — Brooklyn, New York
- TV: KJZZ-TV 14
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $25.90
What to Know
The Nets and the Jazz are an even 5-5 against one another since November of 2019, but not for long. The Brooklyn Nets will welcome the Utah Jazz at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at Barclays Center. The two teams worked hard to overcome the odds in their previous battles and are surely both feeling confident heading into this clash.
The Nets are headed into this one after the oddsmakers set last week’s over/under low at 219, but even that wound up being too high. They came out on top against the Raptors by a score of 101-94 on Thursday. The victory was a breath of fresh air for Brooklyn as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.
Cameron Johnson was a one-man wrecking crew for the Nets as he dropped a double-double on 33 points and ten rebounds. Jalen Wilson, on the other hand, was considerably less helpful: he went 0-7 from beyond the arc.
Even though they won, the Nets struggled to work together and finished the game with only 18 assists. That’s the fewest assists they’ve posted since back in April.
Meanwhile, the Jazz came into Thursday’s game having lost three straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. They walked away with a 126-119 win over the Pistons on Thursday.
The Jazz’s success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Lauri Markkanen led the charge by dropping a double-double on 27 points and 14 rebounds. Collin Sexton was another key player, going 9 for 15 en route to 30 points plus seven assists and six rebounds.
Brooklyn’s victory bumped their record up to 11-16. As for Utah, their win bumped their record up to 6-20.
Both pleased both fans and bettors in their last matches by winning and covering the spread. As for their next game, the Nets are expected to win a tight contest, barring any buzzer beaters. This contest will be Utah’s 19th straight as the underdogs (so far over this stretch they are 8-10 against the spread).
Everything went the Nets’ way against the Jazz when the teams last played back in January, as the Nets made off with a 147-114 victory. Will the Nets repeat their success, or do the Jazz have a better game plan this time around? We’ll find out soon enough.
Odds
Brooklyn is a slight 2.5-point favorite against Utah, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 2.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
The over/under is 222 points.
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Series History
Brooklyn and Utah both have 5 wins in their last 10 games.
- Jan 29, 2024 – Brooklyn 147 vs. Utah 114
- Dec 18, 2023 – Utah 125 vs. Brooklyn 108
- Apr 02, 2023 – Brooklyn 111 vs. Utah 110
- Jan 20, 2023 – Brooklyn 117 vs. Utah 106
- Mar 21, 2022 – Brooklyn 114 vs. Utah 106
- Feb 04, 2022 – Utah 125 vs. Brooklyn 102
- Mar 24, 2021 – Utah 118 vs. Brooklyn 88
- Jan 05, 2021 – Brooklyn 130 vs. Utah 96
- Jan 14, 2020 – Utah 118 vs. Brooklyn 107
- Nov 12, 2019 – Utah 119 vs. Brooklyn 114
