The mercurial Jazz have somehow lost three straight home games by blowout, and they should be desperate for a string performance Thursday before heading out on a road trip next week. The Celtics are on the second night of a back-to-back as they wrap up what has been a successful road trip. They have won two of three with a two-point setback to the Lakers the lone blemish. Gordon Hayward returns to face his former team, but look for the Jazz to prevail in a crucial spot.

Utah is winless since the All-Star break, suffering three straight home losses. Each setback has been by nine or more points, averaging at 13 per defeat. The Jazz now face a surging Celtics team that’s 9-3 ATS over their last 12 games. However, anticipate Boston coming out flat at the tail end of its four-game road trip. Go contrarian here as the Jazz have not lost four straight home games since 2014.