The Utah Jazz and the Denver Nuggets have built up to face each other and look forward to bouncing back from a series of losses. Below are player statistics, team performances, and recent trends, putting together everything that can be expected from this game.
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets is the reigning champion of the NBA under the leadership of Nikola Jokic, an MVP-level performer.
- Nikola Jokic: Averages 30.7 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 8.8 assists per game over his last 10 games. He’s shooting at a blistering 39.6% from the three-point line, all but guaranteeing him to be the team’s lead playmaker and scorer.
- Aaron Gordon: Had one game where he scored 31 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, showing some of the offense he could provide if needed. The athleticism and defensive versatility for Gordon make him very valuable against Utah’s taller starting lineup.
- Michael Porter Jr.: Scored 26 in their latest loss to Minnesota, showing how effective he can be at shooting and contributing on the offensive end.
- Denver, in their last 10 games, averages 108.2 points, 43.1 rebounds, and 26.0 assists per game. Still, they are not holding their opponents below 110.1 points per game, and in their latest form, they lost a couple of tough games on the road.
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Utah Jazz
The Jazz are coming off a five-game losing streak, which makes their list already depleted by injuries even heavier. They have shown to be pretty strong on the road once again.
- Collin Sexton: Sexton will handle the backcourt for the Jazz. He scored 16 points in his last game against the Spurs. His energy, combined with scoring, is vital in terms of keeping the balance going against Denver’s offense.
- Keyonte George: He’s scored 15.6 points and handed out 4.8 assists in his last games. Utah has an outside threat in George, whose shooting from three-point range has been consistent at 29.1%.
- Walker Kessler: Kessler is a rebounding and shot-blocking specialist, pulling in 5.3 rebounds and blocking 2.4 shots. This may be the area that Utah will need to count on him to defend against Jokic.
- Utah’s last 10 games have averaged 105.1 points and 45.5 rebounds while allowing 116.4 points per game on 42.8% shooting, making 80.9% of free throws.
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Head-to-Head and Recent Matchup Trends
Jazz has traveled well lately. They covered the +10 spread six times in the last 10 games and four consecutively while on the road. In their last seven games, the Nuggets were not able to cover a -10 line; that speaks about vulnerabilities even with favorable match-ups.
Conclusion
A pretty tough Denver team awaits, and the Utah Jazz finally look to end their lengthy losing streak. Even as Denver holds the edge-a plus with Jokic having played so well and will be at home-the team has been on a roll for covering lately, especially in away games, and appears to be a good gamble for this game to also be close. Win or lose, expect the game to be competitive for Utah Jazz.
