Cavaliers vs Jazz Betting: Cleveland Wins Big in Donovan Mitchell’s Return to Utah

The Cleveland Cavaliers will travel to face the Utah Jazz in one of seven NBA matchups on the schedule for Tuesday, Jan. 10. This is also the second and final Cavaliers vs Jazz matchup of the 2022-23 campaign. Not only that, but it’s Donovan Mitchell’s first game back in Utah since getting traded in the offseason, making it interesting to see how this clash unfolds.

Donovan Mitchell returns to Utah Tuesday.

I asked Danny Ainge and Ryan Smith about his return and how they hope fans react. #TakeNote @kslsports pic.twitter.com/FwHKlWte4W

— Jeremiah Jensen (@JJSportsBeat) January 10, 2023

The Cavaliers have been building up a successful run lately, going 4-1 in their last five games. They picked up a 112-98 victory over the Phoenix Suns in their latest outing, highlighted by Mitchell and Darius Garland each putting up 22 points while Jarrett Allen recorded a 13-point, 12-rebound double-double.

Meanwhile, the Jazz have lost five of their last seven games, practically erasing their promising start to the campaign. Utah fell 123-118 to the Memphis Grizzlies two nights ago, leaving time to tell if the Jazz have what it takes to bounce back in front of a rowdy hometown crowd.

There’s a lot to take in before Tuesday’s Cavaliers vs Jazz game. Fortunately, Betting News has gathered the game’s odds while also having a prediction and best bet for tonight’s contest.

Cleveland Cavaliers vs Utah Jazz Matchup Information and Betting Odds

Matchup Information

• Matchup: Cleveland Cavaliers (26-15, 8-11 Away) vs. Utah Jazz (20-23, 12-7 Home)
• Venue & Location: Vivint Arena (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Date: Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023
• Game Time: 9 p.m. Eastern Time
• Cavaliers vs Jazz Info: NBA League Pass, Bally Sports Ohio, AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain

Cavaliers vs Jazz Odds

Game odds are via BetOnline as of Tuesday, Jan. 10 at 9:03 a.m. ET. Odds from other top online sportsbooks may also be mentioned in this article.

Spread

• Cleveland Cavaliers -3 (-108)
• Utah Jazz +3 (-112)

Over/Under

• Over 227 Points (-110)
• Under 227 Points (-110)

Moneyline

• Cleveland Cavaliers -148
• Utah Jazz +126

Cleveland Cavaliers vs Utah Jazz Betting Trends

• Cleveland is 2-7 straight up in its last nine games against Utah.
• Utah is 1-8 straight up in its last nine games in January.
• Cleveland is 3-10-1 against the spread (ATS) in its last 14 road games.
• Utah is 3-12 ATS in its last 15 games against the Central Division.
• The total has hit the under in each of Cleveland’s last five road games against Utah.
• The total has hit the under in nine of Utah’s last 13 games against Cleveland.

Cleveland Cavaliers vs Utah Jazz Prediction and Picks

Cavaliers vs Jazz Prediction: Cavaliers 121, Jazz 113

Cavaliers vs Jazz Picks: Cavaliers -3 (Best Value: -108 at BetOnline) & Over 227 Points (Best Value: -108 at BetOnline)

Although this is Mitchell’s return to Vivint Arena, this isn’t the first time that he’s facing his former team.

Mitchell and the Cavaliers blew out the Jazz 122-99 in Cleveland back on Dec. 19. While it wasn’t his best performance of the year, the three-time NBA All-Star still finished with a team-high 23 points on 8-of-12 (75%) shooting.

Now, Mitchell gets to return to an arena where he’s averaged 26.2 points in his last 25 games. He even hit at least 30 points in eight of those games, leaving time to tell if he can do it once again — but this time in a Cavs jersey.

Having said that, I do like the odds of Mitchell playing a big part in another Cavaliers victory tonight. The Jazz’s defense has been putrid during their recent skid, allowing an average of 121.3 points on 49.4% shooting over their last four games, ranking fourth- and seventh-worst, respectively.

The Jazz have also let opponents average 12.4 threes made on 36.4% shooting during that span. Considering how Utah allowed Cleveland to hit 57.7% of its three-point shots in the first meeting of the season, the Jazz can’t afford to struggle on the perimeter again. Shooters like Mitchell, Darius Garland and Caris LeVert will make them pay for those kinds of mistakes.

Tuesday night, Donovan Mitchell returns to Utah for the first time since his trade to Cleveland.

There should be a standing ovation, @Tjonesonthenba writes.

He deserves it for several important reasons.https://t.co/elR6oNwwqB pic.twitter.com/gfXa7kIjOo

— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) January 9, 2023

Even the Jazz’s offense has been tough to watch as they continue their slide down the standings. Utah has only hit 46.4% of its field goals (10th-worst) and 32.8% of three-point attempts (fourth-worst) over the last eight games. Though the Cavaliers allow a 37.0% three-point percentage (second-worst), their field-goal defense is No. 7 and they surrender an NBA-low 106.6 PPG.

Another reason why the Jazz’s offense should struggle more than usual is that Collin Sexton (hamstring) has been ruled out for the fifth straight game. Utah has already lost five of the last seven games that he’s missed, making it difficult to trust Will Hardy’s team tonight.

The Cavaliers will want to get Mitchell a victory in his return to Utah and I don’t think that the Jazz are good enough to stop that from happening. The latter has played like one of the NBA’s worst teams for the last few weeks, whereas Cleveland has proven that it can win games and its defense should have no issues shutting down the home team’s struggling attack.

Having said that, I recommend taking the Cavaliers at -3 on the spread. The Jazz’s last seven losses have come by an average of four points and with the amazing defense that Cleveland possesses, covering the 3-point spread shouldn’t be an issue.

And after each of the last five Cavaliers vs Jazz matchups in Utah has hit the over, I’m backing the over on tonight’s total. Mitchell’s return will bring out the best in both teams, leading to more points than expected.

Other Los Angeles vs Atlanta Resources

• Cavaliers vs Jazz Consensus Picks, Score Projections & Betting Stats