The 40-17 Boston Celtics travel to Salt Lake City to take on the 36-21 Utah Jazz February 26th as Boston looks to close out its west coast road trip on a high note.
The Jazz, however, look to right the ship as they find themselves in the midst of the three-game losing streak after winning just four games of their last ten contests.
On the other side of the court, the Celtics have been reveling in the outstanding play of Jayson Tatum since being named an All-Star, having won eight games of their last ten.
The meeting will be just the second return for veteran forward Gordon Hayward to his former team since leaving them in the summer of 2017, his injury not long after having kept him out of most away contests against Utah since.
#NEBHInjuryReport Coach says it’s a possibility that Kemba Walker could play tomorrow in SLC, but it’s unlikely. He said the team is taking it slowly so that anytime Kemba misses a game from here on out, it’s planned and not due to injury.
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 25, 2020
Boston will likely be without starting point guard Kemba Walker (knee) and Robert Williams III (hip) as both continue to recuperate, the former taking it slow to avoid overwork before the postseason, the latter looking to return to action on or around March 1.
The Jazz will likely only be without reserve guard Nigel Williams-Goss.
Utah’s struggles of late primarily fall on their defense, which slipped from one of the best in the NBA to outside the top 10 in recent days. Point guard Mike Conley’s ongoing difficulty adjusting to his new role with the Jazz has been another factor.
While the back-to-back for Boston coupled with the time change and altitude should make this game a close contest even with Utah’s recent stumbles, and most online sportsbooks agree, granting the Celtics an average spread of +4.5.
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