Cavs-Jazz: Starters, odds, injuries and TV channel for Wednesday

At this juncture, after the Cleveland Cavaliers were able to hold on in their last game at the Sacramento Kings on Monday 109-108, the Wine and Gold have 23 wins through 41 games. That’s more than their 22 wins all of last season in 72 games, in the league’s second COVID-19-shortened season.

The Cavaliers are still missing not having Collin Sexton and Ricky Rubio, and they had to endure COVID-19 issues, like other clubs, but the Cavs have found ways to get wins throughout the year so far.

In their last game at the Kings, while it was probably harder than it had to be down the stretch, after Sacramento nearly rallied in the last few minutes, which included a 9-0 run, Cleveland did notch a win after an uninspiring loss at the Golden State Warriors on Sunday. The bigs, in particular, did well, and the bench was back in-rhythm.

Looking past that one, the Cavaliers have the fourth game of their current six-game road trip at the Utah Jazz on Wednesday, a club that’s one of the more dangerous offensive teams in the NBA.

So, what do you have to know about this Cavs-Jazz matchup, and how to bet?

Heading into another rematch and final meeting with this next Western Conference team, the Cavaliers will be facing a Utah squad with the top offensive rating and true shooting rate in the league, with the Jazz having won six of 10. They have the league’s fourth-best record and are fourth in the West at 28-13.

The Jazz have a plethora of shooters that space the floor for Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell, along with former Cav and current Jazz bench microwave scorer in Jordan Clarkson, and the Cavs will need to have great attention to detail off-ball.

Utah will be without Rudy Gobert though, so that drastically changes the outlook on the other end, as Hassan Whiteside is nowhere near the player Gobert is there, but when healthy and when the buy-in is there, he can do damage on the low block offensively.

So, what are the current odds for this one, then?

Cavs-Jazz: Odds, spread and over/under

According to our partners at WynnBet, the Jazz are favored here by 6.0 over the Cavs, with the over/under for both teams currently set at 223.0. The Jazz’s over/under is 114.5, with the Cavs being 108.5

With Utah being such a potent offense, and Cleveland being in higher scoring games in recent weeks, I’d expect that, to some degree, to play out here with Gobert’s absence, even more so.

Cavs-Jazz: Projected starting lineups, injury report

Jazz starters: Mike Conley, Donovan Mitchell, Royce O’Neale, Bojan Bogdanovic, Hassan Whiteside

Cavs starters: Darius Garland, Lamar Stevens, Lauri Markkanen, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen

Jazz injuries: Rudy Gobert, Rudy Gay, Jared Butler, Elijah Hughes, Udoka Azubuike, Malik Fitts (out, COVID-19 health and safety protocols); Joe Ingles (questionable, conditioning after clearing health and safety protocols).

Cavs injuries: Isaac Okoro (out, elbow); Collin Sexton Sexton (out for season, knee); Ricky Rubio (out for season, knee).

Cavs-Jazz: Prediction

While his back was reportedly bothering him after the Kings game, and one could see him grabbing it throughout the game with the soreness, Garland is set to play at Utah for Cleveland. I do still believe it might behoove the Cavaliers to sit Garland a few games, with the last two still being very winnable on the road trip without him.

But for now, he is active. Regardless, the Jazz even without Gobert’s rim running and screening are a club that really lights it up, and Mitchell, Conley and Bogdanovic are always formidable, and we know what Clarkson provides as a bench spark.

For the Cavaliers here, it’s tough to say whether they’ll be able to contain Mitchell nearly enough to keep the Jazz from lighting it up, as they did in their first game against the Wine and Gold this season. The Cavs roared their way back down the stretch, largely behind Cedi Osman, however, Utah took that one in Cleveland behind them hitting 20 triples on 48 attempts.

For Cleveland to win here, even with Gobert, and potentially without Joe Ingles, it’ll take a big effort from the bench and/or them forcing Mitchell and Bogdanovic into very off shooting nights.

And with Garland dealing with that sore back, and the inconsistencies from Lauri Markkanen in the past few weeks, I just don’t know if the Cavs can hault Utah runs here on the road, anyhow, whether or not Rajon Rondo plays a bunch over him. To me, that could be why the Cavaliers don’t beat the spread, even with that being a considerable 6.0 points.

Prediction: Jazz 115, Cavs 107

The Bet: Jazz (-6.0), UNDER

Cavs-Jazz: Where to watch

From those within the respective markets, this one can be viewed on Bally Sports Ohio, AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain and Root Sports Northwest.

And for those it applies, NBA League Pass is an alternative option.

Cavaliers upcoming schedule:

Next up for the Cavaliers after this Jazz contest is a game at the San Antonio Spurs on Friday, where I’d expect the Spurs to try to get up and down a bunch, but they are very young. From there, the Cavs have a tilt with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey and the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second leg of a back-to-back on Saturday.

And the ensuing game for Cleveland after that back-to-back and the conclusion of this latest road trip is obviously a different level of opponent in an afternoon MLK Day outing Monday against the Brooklyn Nets at home.