Cavaliers vs. Jazz Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for December 19 (Can Donovan Mitchell Beat His Former Team?)

Cavaliers vs. Jazz Game Info

• Date: Monday, December 19, 2022
• Time: 7:00 PM ET
• Venue: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse -- Cleveland, Ohio
• Coverage: BSOH and SportsNet RM

The 2022-23 NBA season continues on Monday with nine more games, including a battle between the Utah Jazz and Cleveland Cavaliers. The Jazz rank eighth in the Western Conference with a 17-15 record, while the Cavaliers check in third in the Eastern Conference with a respectable 20-11 record.

Utah couldn't keep up in a 123-97 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks its last time out on Saturday night and has now lost three of its last five games. Meanwhile, Cleveland squeaked by the Dallas Mavericks, 100-99, in overtime on Friday for its third straight win. Which team will emerge victorious tonight?

Cavaliers vs. Jazz Odds & Spread

• All NBA betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: CLE: (-245) | UTA: (+200)
• Spread: CLE: -6.5 (-106) | UTA: +6.5 (-114)
• Total: 221 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

The Cavaliers enter this contest as notable home favorites on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 7 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 221 points, which is below average compared to the rest of Monday's projected totals.

Cavaliers vs. Jazz Betting Trends

• The Cavaliers have put together a record of 14-12-4 against the spread this season.
• So far this year, the Jazz have been installed as underdogs by a 5.5-point margin or more eight times and are 6-2 ATS in those games.
• This season, Cavaliers games have hit the over 12 times out of 31 chances.
• The Jazz have eclipsed the over/under 51.6% of the time this year (16 of 31 games with a set point total).
• Cleveland has a better record against the spread when playing at home (9-4-2) than it does on the road (5-8-2).
• In 2022-23 against the spread, Utah has a lower winning percentage at home (.562, 9-6-1 record) than on the road (.600, 9-6-0).

Cavaliers vs. Jazz Prediction & Pick

These two teams have been exceeding expectations in very different ways. The Jazz rely on their offense to win games as they average 117.2 points per game (No. 5 in NBA) on a 47.6% shooting mark. The Cavaliers rely on their defense as they allow only 104.6 points per game (No. 1 in NBA).

When a stellar offense meets a stellar defense, it's important to look at the little things. Utah averages 15.9 turnovers (No. 25 in NBA) and commits 21.2 personal fouls per game (No. 20 in NBA). Cleveland logs only 14.5 turnovers per game (No. 13 in NBA) and commits 19.2 fouls per game (No. 3 in NBA).

Cleveland is also 10-1 straight up in their last 11 home games, so give me the Cavaliers in this one.

Final Score Prediction: Cavaliers: 113 | Jazz: 104

Cavaliers vs. Jazz Best Bet

This is the first time Donovan Mitchell is set to play the Jazz since they traded him to the Cavaliers in September. Don't expect that extra motivation to cause Cleveland to abandon its usual strategy on Monday. This is a team that thrives on contesting shots on defense and staying patient on offense.

Cleveland ranks first in defensive efficiency and plays at the slowest pace in the NBA. The under has cashed in 10 of the Cavaliers' last 12 games overall as well as seven of their last nine games in December. The total has also hit the under in nine of the last 12 games between Utah and Cleveland.

Bet: Under 221 Points (-110)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.