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With their offense clicking behind their superstar, the Cleveland Cavaliers are perfect through five games at home and winners of six straight overall.
Still, it’s safe to say the Cavs’ fans will devote plenty of their attention to Cleveland’s next opponent.
Oddsmakers from SBG Global have made Cavaliers –9 point spread favorites (NBA Odds) for today’s game, the over/under has been set at 191 (View Matchup). Current public betting information shows that 69% of bets for this game have been placed on Cavaliers –9 (View NBA Bet Percentages).
The Utah Jazz could be missing three of their most important players on Saturday night, but the one Cleveland fans want to see is expected to be there as Carlos Boozer looks for his first win at Quicken Loans Arena since the All-Star forward’s ugly split from the Cavaliers more than four years ago.
After dropping two of their first three games in tough road matchups at Boston and New Orleans, the Cavs (7-2) have found a groove, scoring at least 100 points five times during their six-game winning streak, with LeBron James averaging 33.5 points over that span.
James had 22 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds in Cleveland’s 110-99 win over Denver on Thursday, while newcomer Mo Williams scored a team-high 24 and added six assists as the Cavs shot 57.3 percent from the field.
"We still have a long way to go, but I like the progress of our guys at this point," Cleveland coach Mike Brown said. "I think, offensively, we’re further along now than we have been in the last three years."
With Boozer in town, they’ll have extra motivation to keep their momentum going. The Cavs drafted the former Duke star in the second round in 2002, and after two strong seasons in Cleveland, the team allowed him to become a restricted free agent with the hope of signing him to a long-term deal.
Instead, Boozer signed a six-year, $68 million contract with the Jazz that Cleveland couldn’t match, and the Cavs viewed the departure as a betrayal.
He’s averaged at least 20 points and 10 rebounds each of the last two seasons in Utah.
The Jazz are 0-4 in Cleveland since the deal. Boozer didn’t play in the first two visits, and while he’s averaged 22.5 points and 12.5 rebounds despite harsh receptions in the last two games.
Coach Jerry Sloan’s banged-up team has also had problems on its current five-game road trip against Eastern Conference opponents, losing three of the first four. The Jazz were an NBA-best 37-4 at home last season, but 17-24 on the road.
They’re also back to playing without point guard Deron Williams, who had returned for two games before missing Friday’s 104-96 loss at Charlotte. Williams was sidelined for the first six games of the season with a sprained ankle, and Sloan said the team brought him back too soon.
Utah (6-3) got off to a 5-0 start without Williams, but sixth man Andrei Kirilenko also missed Friday’s game with a finger injury while starting center Mehmet Okur has missed three contests while in Turkey with his ailing father.
The Jazz have struggled to replace them, going four straight games without reaching 100 points – something that only happened once all of last season.
"For some reason we just can’t beat the teams we’re supposed to beat," said Boozer, who had 26 points and 15 rebounds against the Bobcats. "Even if we’re short-handed, I feel like the guys in the locker room can play with anybody."
Ronnie Price, starting for Williams, had more turnovers (four) than assists (three) on Friday. Rookie center Kosta Koufos has averaged 9.0 points and 6.3 rebounds in the last three games in place of Okur.
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