Jazz minus 4 hosting Magic
First the bad news, Utah won’t have its rising star center Rudy Gobert. He suffered a sprained MCL in his knee during Wednesday’s practice and is out.
But I see the Jazz stepping up without Gobert in this revenge spot. Utah was minus Gobert and fourth-leading scorer Rodney Hood when it lost at Orlando, 103-91, on Nov. 13. The Jazz came from 23 points down in the fourth quarter to draw within seven before falling back. The Magic drew the Jazz playing their third game in four days in addition to be without Gobert and Hood.
Now the Jazz are rested and prepared having been idle since Monday. Orlando is playing well with four straight victories. However, those wins have come against the Knicks, Bucks and Celtics at home and versus the Timberwolves on the road. This is a step-up game for Orlando. The Jazz nearly became the first team to bump off Golden State during their last game losing by three points. That’s the closest the Warriors have come to losing all season.
Utah has defeated Orlando five of the past six times in Salt Lake City. The Jazz are 7-3-1 ATS in their last 11 home games. They also have followed up a loss by going 8-2 ATS in their next game.
The Magic are an improved team. But their winning streak isn’t as impressive as it seems at first glance. The Jazz are rested and have revenge. Teams often play hard in their first game after losing a key player to injury, which is the case here with Gobert going down.
