I am not digging into this narrative that Joel Embiid felt “forced” to play the other night and got hurt as a result. Nevertheless, he is not going to be playing in this one and the results without him in the lineup of late have not been great. The 76ers have lost their last 4 games and unfortunately for Philadelphia, many more their star center are on the shelf this evening. Utah is back home hosting the 76ers after a 2-3 road trip. This team is just a game under .500 but their results can be wild. They are beating some teams they shouldn’t and losing games by 25+ points. There is a bit of nervous energy around the team as they may be active at the trade deadline, which makes sense because this team does not quite have an identity yet.
The first time these teams met was just last month and the Jazz beat the 76ers on the road. Embiid did not play in that one either but guard Tyrese Maxey did, and the Jazz still won by 11 points. Now at home they are actually favored to win and the -5 seems more than reasonable (they were +6.5 when they met Philadelphia on the road by the way). Utah is getting the 76ers in just a perfect spot, a struggling, injured team on the road. They can win comfortably tonight and probably do not even have to be at their best.
Jazz -5 available at time of publishing. Playable at time of publishing.
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Sarah Wilson is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.
