LeBron in Action – Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Utah Jazz

Cleveland Cavaliers at Utah Jazz
Thursday, January 14th – 10:35 PM ET
NBA Basketball Point Spread: Jazz -1

The Week That Was: Cavaliers

The past week didn’t start well for coach Mike Brown’s bunch, but to their credit, the Cavs shrugged off an irritating loss in the Rocky Mountains and improved their traveling road show on the West Coast.

On Friday, Jan. 8, Cleveland fell to a Denver team that lacked superstar forward Carmelo Anthony, 99-97. LeBron James – naturally the prime point of focus for this team – committed turnovers on successive possessions in the final minute, costing the Cavs dearly in the first stop on their five-game road trip. As frustrating as that setback was, however, Cleveland managed to regroup over the weekend.

On Sunday, Jan. 10, James threw down 41 points and outdueled Portland superstar Brandon Roy (34 points), as the Cavs topped the Trail Blazers, 106-94. Center Shaquille O’Neal posted 11 points and 11 boards against an undermanned Portland lineup.

Forced by the schedule maker to endure a back-to-back set, Team LeBron hopped on a plane and took on Golden State the very next night in Oakland. With King James scoring 37 points but also dishing out 11 assists, the Cavs had enough offense to outscore the Warriors, 117-114.

The Week That Was: Jazz

It made sense that the Jazz would produce a 2-1 week, but the way they got there was unexpected.

Cleveland Cavaliers @ Utah Jazz -1 >> Join Now to Bet!

On Friday, Jan. 8, Utah traveled to Memphis to face a team the Jazz had beaten on 11 consecutive occasions. Sure enough, however, the Grizzlies managed to stop Jerry Sloan’s squad, 91-89, on a 21-foot jumper from O.J. Mayo with just over five seconds remaining in regulation. Star point guard Deron Williams missed the game for Utah with a bruised right wrist, a considerable factor in the game’s eventual outcome.

The next night in Dallas, a contest that figured to land in the loss column turned into a surprising – and surprisingly easy – victory. With Williams popping in 20 points and handing out nine assists in his return to the lineup, a motivated Utah crew dismantled the Mavericks, 111-93. In a departure from most road games this season, Utah found a way to maintain intensity on defense.

That energy was once again brought to battle on Monday, Jan. 11, as Utah thumped Miami, 118-89. The Jazz created 18 turnovers on defense and thoroughly throttled the Heat in every aspect of competition.

Outlook & Pick

Cleveland might not be facing a back-to-back set in this game, but the Cavs have been ping-ponging between the Pacific and Mountain time zones, so while they’ve attained a measure of rest, it remains to be seen if they’ll function fluidly on the court.

The Jazz have been inconsistent all season long, but in the past two games against Dallas and Miami, they’ve flourished and have looked like the kind of team that can go deep into the Western Conference Playoffs. Utah will determine who wins this game. The Jazz will win with their best stuff, but will get blown out if they can’t maintain what they’ve established over the past few days. The hunch here is that the Jazz – for one more night – will hit many high notes at home.

NBA Expert Pick: Jazz