NBA 2021/22 on Tuesday, 03/22/2022
The game between the resurgent Brooklyn Nets and the Utah Jazz could get a lot more exciting if Kyrie Irving is allowed to get involved.
After all, getting by without the firepower of a player who has scored 132 points during his last three games alone presents an almost insurmountable challenge, especially against such a team.
In my Brooklyn Nets Utah Jazz tip, we’ll cover several reasons why the New York Islanders are almost doomed to lose.
Shortly after Kevin Durant returned to the starting five, the Nets finally won five of their last six NBA games after months full of bankruptcies, misfortunes and mishaps. They even managed a monumental 150-108 triumph over the Magic.
Nonetheless, I’m relatively certain that the New Yorkers will be looking down the tubes tonight. Because the architect of the success over Orlando, who contributed an incredible 60 points this evening, will not be allowed into the stadium.
Kyrie Irving is still not allowed to attend his team’s home games at Barclays Arena or Madison Square Gardens due to his vaccination status. However, all Jazz fans will likely only “regret” this decision by the city of New York up to a point.
Meanwhile, the fact that New York fans are taking to the streets to protest this ban is understandable from a sports perspective. After all, Irving also scored a stunning 50 points in his third-to-last outing against the Hornets.
In short, if Irving stays out, there won’t be enough quality to beat a franchise of the Jazz’s caliber. Especially since New York’s Big Three has already been broken up anyway with the recent departure of James Harden to the Sixers.
Kevin Durant is still an outstanding player who can single-handedly decide a game if need be. But in the “five-man duel” against Rudy Gobert on the Jazz’s side, Durantula will have an enormously difficult time on his own.
The Jazz possess two key players who will be half the battle for success over the Nets. One is defensive specialist Rudy Gobert and the other is Donovan Mitchell, who always provides a lot of action under the opponent’s basket on the way forward.
The latter was absent from yesterday’s 121-92 win over the Clippers, but will be able to play tonight. Since Sunday, the exceptional player’s status has again been officially classified as “available”.
With Bogdanovic and Conley, important elements on Utah’s side are still missing, but the quality of the team is sufficient to more than stand up to Brooklyn without their three-point king.
At this point it’s worth going back to the only duel of the season so far in February, which the Jazz clearly won 125-102. Although Durant was still injured at that time, Irving was able to play.
Nevertheless, the three-point king did not manage to score more than 15 points in that away game. That alone shows how well the Yellow and Blue can defend collectively. Without Irving, it certainly won’t get any easier for the Black and Whites to get points now.
Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Nets Utah Jazz odds currently offered on the NBA betting markets seem to be somewhat skewed. Because under the circumstances, I would personally favor the Jazz, but the oddsmakers see it differently!
The best sports betting providers in this world are in fact trading a success for the guests at slight underdog odds of currently 2.05.
On the other hand, those who believe that New York’s upswing will continue seamlessly without their king of three can expect a cross-provider “reward” of currently around 1.80 on the markets.
Conclusion: Durant and Irving are proving they can more than keep the Nets afloat even without Harden. Irving alone has broken the 50-point barrier twice during his last three outings.
But because of his vaccination status, New York City won’t even let him into Barclays Arena against the Jazz tonight. Yet the upcoming opponent poses a real challenge as it is.
Because the defense of the Yellow and Blue is in my eyes one of the best in the NBA, while on the way forward the return of Donovan Mitchell definitely makes the guests the favorite.
My Brooklyn Nets Utah Jazz tip is thus: Jazz win!
