NBA: Utah Jazz vs. Denver Nuggets Preview, Odds, Prediction

The Denver Nuggets will be heavily tested against the Utah Jazz on Sunday night. Quin Snyder’s team comes to Colorado riding an 11-game winning streak and looking ferocious. Not only that, but the Jazz are currently atop the entire league. What is a problem for the guests is the fact that Donovan Mitchell won’t be playing, those are the latest news, but be sure to keep an eye on his situation. The Nuggets lost in San Antonio, interrupting their winning stretch that began following a loss vs. Utah.

Preview

Utah Jazz (15-4, -105) leads the West and the entire NBA. This is something we haven’t seen in a while. The Jazz was just firing up last year once the season had to be stopped, and it seems that they catch that groove once again. Many believed that not having Donovan Mitchell would see this unit falling apart, but that didn’t happen.

How? Once you have Jordan Clarkson, biggest favorite for the Sixth Man of the Year Award, Rudy Gobert, and superb Bojan Bogdanovic, things are much easier. Rudy had 29 points and 20 boards in the first game against Dallas, Bogdanovic was fired up in the second with 32 buckets and seven threes, while Clarkson does his job all the time.

The Jazz averages 50 boards per game and allows 105.1 points while averaging 113.4 on the other end, having one of the highest differentials in the league.

Denver Nuggets (11-8, -115) started a five-match triumphant streak after losing in Salt Lake City, and ended the same last night in San Antonio. They were outplayed in the final period, but to be honest, the Spurs were in control throughout most of the clash.

Jokic had one of his usual nights, dropping 35 points and 10 boards, but apart from Jamal Murray, who had 20 buckets, there was no other player among the Nuggets who would pull the team in the moments when these two had to catch a break. Will Barton had nine points in 30 minutes, Gar Harris 11 in 34, and Michael Porter Jr nine in 19 minutes.

Even though the Nuggets are 7-3 in the previous 10 events, it seems that Mike Malone’s crew plays way below their level of quality, and to be perfectly straight, there aren’t any consistent players in Denver right now, apart from the Joker. That is why he is one of the top MVP contenders.

Head to Head Matches

The first game between these two sides took place on January 19, and the Jazz defeated Nuggets in Denver. Clarkson was the X-factor with 23 points off the bench, while Mitchell had 18. Bogdanovic added 17, Conley 14, Gobert 15, and 13 boards. Jokic was one assist short of a triple-double on the other side, 35 points, 14 rebounds, and 9 dimes. Murray also added 30 buckets, and these two were the only ones with 10 or more points among the hosts.

Prediction

The line for the total number of points here is set at 220.5, and for us, this is a clear plus. Even though Mitchell isn’t playing, the Jazz have no problems pouring 120 points, and we saw that against the Mavs. Plus, Denver doesn’t play some strong defense. The Nuggets are an offensive-minded team, which is why we suggest going with Over here.