The Philadelphia 76ers will face the Utah Jazz on February 1 (Thursday) at Delta Center Arena. This will be the second time the two teams face each other this season. Their last meeting was on January 6, where Utah won 120-109. Lauri Markkanen scored 33 points, 13 rebounds, one assist and one block in that game. Tyrese Maxey had 25 points, nine assists, three steals and one block for Philadelphia. The Jazz leads the all-time series against the 76ers 59-49.
Preview
The 76ers have lost four consecutive games, which has dropped them to fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings. Their most recent loss came against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, where Joel Embiid exited the fourth quarter with an injury. Philadelphia needs to get some wins to get back to its old form and momentum. The Jazz are 10th in the Western Conference and are coming to the upcoming game after two consecutive losses. The New York Knicks defeated the Jazz 118-103 on Tuesday. Collin Sexton had 22 points, seven assists and three rebounds for Utah.
Starting lineup
The 76ers will be without several key players on Thursday. Joel Embiid, De’Anthony Melton and Robert Covington are out. Tyrese Maxey and Nicolas Batum are questionable. Marcus Morris is questionable due to a foot injury. Kenneth Lofton Jr. is out due to personal reasons. Therefore, the Philadelphia 76ers are expected to start with Kelly Oubre Jr., Patrick Beverley, Tobias Harris, Danuel House Jr. and Paul Reed. On the other hand, the Jazz have no player on their injury report. They will likely start with Sexton, Kris Dunn, Lauri Markkanen, Simon Fontecchio and John Collins.
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Prediction
The Jazz are favored to win this game at home. This is more due to the 76ers injury concerns than Utah’s current form. With Embiid out, the Jazz should have no problem dealing with the rest of the 76ers. Utah should cover the spread for a win. Philadelphia may struggle to score in the absence of Embiid and Maxey. Due to this, the team’s total score may be less than 233.5 points.
