Two teams fighting through rough seasons will meet on Tuesday night as the Indiana Pacers host the Utah Jazz. Utah leans on Lauri Markkanen’s shot-making and a fast pace that can push totals higher, while Indiana counts on Pascal Siakam and Andrew Nembhard to manufacture enough offense in the absence of Tyrese Haliburton. Here, I break down this inter-conference matchup in the NBA and give you my Jazz vs Pacers prediction in the NBA on Tuesday.
Availability watch for Utah: Keyonte George sat out the February 1 loss at Toronto and he is listed as out with an ankle injury. Lauri Markkanen recently returned from an illness and continues to carry the scoring load. Jusuf Nurkic and Georges Niang are also listed as out for a Jazz team that has struggled with or without its top players this season.
Tyrese Haliburton remains out, so Indiana’s initiator role stays with Andrew Nembhard, who has been piling up assists. Pascal Siakam is the primary scorer and face-up creator, with Bennedict Mathurin and Aaron Nesmith supplying supplementary scoring now that they are both healthy after missing time earlier in the season.
The Jazz rank high in pace and scoring but sit near the bottom of the league in opponent points allowed, creating wide variance in totals. Indiana’s offense has dipped this season, but the Pacers can still run hot in transition at home.
Scheduling angle: Utah is on an Eastern swing and just coughed up the ball 21 times in Toronto. Indiana is on a homestand that includes Houston on February 2, then Utah on February 3, so check for any late rest decisions with the Pacers on the second leg of a back-to-back here.
Head-to-Head & Betting Trends
Past meetings: Utah blasted Indiana 152-128 on November 11 in Salt Lake City, and the Jazz look to sweep the season series here.
Utah is 26-24 against the spread going into this contest.
Indiana is also 26-24 against the spread so far this year.
The over is 30-20 in Jazz games so far this season.
The under is 30-20 in Pacers games going into Tuesday night.
Jazz vs Pacers Model Projection
Score Projection: Utah Jazz 112 – Indiana Pacers 116
Win Probability: Utah Jazz 42%, Indiana Pacers 58%
Final Thoughts
This is a tough game from a handicapping standpoint, with the Pacers being on a back-to-back and the Jazz just being such an abysmal basketball team this year. But I think that there is more upside with the Pacers here on their home floor. While the Rockets got the better of Indiana last night, the Pacers have a true difference maker in Siakam and they are playing better basketball now that they have some of their key role players back alongside him. I'll lay the points with Indiana tonight.
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