Utah Jazz vs Philadelphia 76ers prediction and combined starting 5 featuring Donovan Mitchell and Joel Embiid - March 3rd, 2021
The Utah Jazz will visit the Philadelphia 76ers on March 3rd in an NBA matchup between the top-seeded teams in each conference. Both teams come into this game having played their previous match on March 1st, with the Jazz falling to the New Orleans Pelicans and the Sixers beating the Indiana Pacers.
Doc Rivers' Philadelphia 76ers lead the Eastern Conference with a 23-12 record in the 2020-21 NBA season. Meanwhile, the Utah Jazz have an NBA-best 27-8 record and seven wins in their previous 10 outings.
Quin Snyder's team has been hot in all aspects of the game in the current campaign. The Utah Jazz rank second in Offensive Rating, third in Defensive Rating, and first in Net Rating (9.4). Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley, and Sixth Man of the Year candidate Jordan Clarkson have been essential to their early success.
On the other hand, the Philadelphia 76ers' offense is in the middle of the pack, but their defense is the fifth-best in the entire NBA. Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons have been great for the Sixers in the current campaign, while Tobias Harris has also had a great year.
Utah Jazz vs Philadelphia 76ers prediction - March 3rd, 2021
The Utah Jazz are coming off a 129-124 loss on the road against Zion Williamson and the inconsistent New Orleans Pelicans. Philadelphia beat the solid Indiana Pacers 130-114 at home without Tobias Harris, behind Joel Embiid's 24 points and 13 rebounds as well as Shake Milton's 26 points off the bench.
This game will be the second matchup between the Utah Jazz and Philadelphia 76ers in the 2020-21 NBA season. Their previous meeting came on February 15th, and the Jazz registered a convincing 134-123 win over a Philly team that was without Embiid.
Embiid's absence in the previous game was not a small detail, and his presence for the upcoming game should be huge for the Philadelphia 76ers. Though he has missed six games in the year, the Cameroonian center is one of the strongest NBA MVP candidates this season. The 76ers are clearly much better with him on the floor.
At home, we can expect the Philadelphia 76ers to win a close game over the Utah Jazz. They can be backed to hand the best team in the West a second straight loss, even with Tobias Harris on a day-to-day status.
The last time the Utah Jazz lost consecutive games was between January 5th and 6th, as the team got swept in their visit to the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Knicks.
Utah Jazz vs Philadelphia 76ers combined starting 5 - March 3rd, 2021
The backcourt of a combined starting lineup between these two teams has to be constructed with Ben Simmons and Donovan Mitchell.
Simmons is the carrier of the Philadelphia 76ers' offensive system, and he defends a high level for the team as well. His all-round abilities are huge for Doc Rivers' team, and the numbers can back his stats up. Simmons is averaging 16 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists per game so far, and has made 57% of his field goals.
Mitchell, on the other hand, is averaging 24 points, five rebounds and five assists per game, and is the Utah Jazz's best player. He scored 24 points against the Philadelphia 76ers on February 15th, but had a rough shooting outing with just nine field goals made in 24 attempts.
Tobias Harris missed Monday's game against the Pacers, but he makes the cut as the small forward in our lineup. Harris arguably should've been an All-Star in the Eastern Conference, but the team is already stacked. Despite his knee issues, Harris could play against the Utah Jazz. He is averaging 20 points and 7.5 rebounds per game on 51/41/89 shooting splits.
The frontcourt might be the biggest in the history of our combined starting lineups - Rudy Gobert and Joel Embiid simply cannot be left out of this mix. Embiid is making a strong case for the 2020-21 NBA MVP award, as he is putting up 29.8 points and 11 rebounds per game on 52/42/86 shooting splits.
Embiid is also the team's best defender according to advanced stats. He is the Philadelphia 76ers' leader in Defensive Rating (seventh in the NBA) and Defensive Win Shares (fifth in the NBA).
On the other end, Rudy Gobert is a clear candidate to win his third NBA Defensive Player of the Year award. He is averaging 14 points, 13 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game. Moreover, Gobert leads the NBA in Defensive Win Shares, and ranks second in Defensive Rating and third in rebounds per game.
Also read: Utah Jazz vs Philadelphia 76ers: Injury Updates, Predicted Lineups and Starting 5s - March 3rd, 2021 | NBA Season 2020-21