NBA Basketball Picks and Tips: Utah Jazz at Indiana Pacers
Tuesday, February 07, 2012
Frank Martin
The Indiana Pacers are playing consecutive games at home for the first time this season when they host the Utah Jazz on Tuesday. Indiana has played 15 of its first 23 games on the road, which has made its fast start even more impressive.
The Pacers lost to Orlando 85-81 on Saturday in the first leg of the two-game homestand, dropping their home mark to 6-2. Indiana shot a season-worst 34.1 percent from the field. “We fought and battled and just couldn’t get up over the hump,” guard Paul George said.
“It was one of those nights. We’re going to have those nights.” Utah lost to the New York Knicks 99-88 on Monday, missing an opportunity as New York was without Amar e Stoudemire due to the death of his brother and Carmelo Anthony leaving early with a groin injury. “We’re all professionals,” Jazz center Al Jefferson said. “Everybody is a pro. So no matter they didn’t have their star player, they’re still a team that you just can’t go out there and take for granted.” Jefferson had 22 points for his ninth double-digit outing of the season.
- Utah Jazz @ Indiana Pacers
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Where: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
TV: 7 p.m. ET, ROOT Sports (Jazz), FS Indiana (Pacers), NBATV
The Pacers have opened as 9-point favorites on SBG Global Sportsbook’s Live NBA Basketball Odds.
Utah Jazz (13-10): Second-year guard Gordon Hayward gets to start in his home state for the first time as an NBA player. The former Butler University star had two points in 15 minutes off the bench when Utah played at Indiana last season. He has started every game this season and has scored in double figures in five of the last six games. He has averaged 14.5 points during the stretch to raise his season mark to 9.7.
Indiana Pacers (16-7): Indiana continues to frustrate opposing teams with its tough style. Minnesota’s Kevin Love criticized the Pacers last Wednesday, Dallas’ Brendan Haywood pushed Indiana’s Dahntay Jones on Friday and Orlando’s Quentin Richardson shoved Indiana’s Danny Granger on Saturday. “I don’t really have a response to what other teams have to say about us,” Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. “I just know that we want to play physical basketball. We want to wear teams out and we want teams to feel after they’ve played us that they’ve been in a heavyweight fight.”
1. Utah has won eight of its last 10 games against Indiana.
2. Jazz guard Raja Bell had 15 points against the Knicks for only his fourth double-figure game of the campaign.
3. The Pacers are 15-0 when scoring 90 or more points and 1-7 when they don’t.
NBA BASKETBALL PREDICTION: Pacers 95, Jazz 88
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