The Utah Jazz (36-44, 22-18 Home) will try to slow down the league’s top shooting team when they welcome the Denver Nuggets (52-28, 19-21 Away) on Saturday. Denver lost to the Phoenix Suns 119-115 at Footprint Center on Thursday, their third straight loss away from home. Bruce Brown was the key player in the loss with 31 points.
The Nuggets are the first seed in the Western Conference, 2.5 games ahead of the Memphis Grizzlies. Utah dropped their fourth in a row on Thursday at Vivint Arena, falling to the Oklahoma City Thunder 114-98. Kris Dunn had 22 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds in the losing effort, leading the team.
The Jazz are 12th in the Western Conference.The teams are meeting for the last time this season. Utah will be looking to split the season series after winning only one of the three earlier matchups.
Denver won the last showdown 115-110 at Ball Arena in December 2022. Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with a triple double, recording 31 points, 14 assists, 12 rebounds, and four blocks.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 27 points in defeat.Jokic is averaging 24.4 points per game to lead the Nuggets in scoring this season. Jokic also is contributing 11.7 rebounds and 9.7 assists per game, placing him fourth and fourth in the NBA, respectively.
Lauri Markkanen has supplied much of the Jazz’s offense, averaging 25.6 points per game. Markkanen also has averaged 8.6 rebounds per game. Jordan Clarkson has distributed 4.4 assists per game. The Nuggets are shooting 50.5% from the field, ranking as the most accurate field goal shooting team in the NBA.
The Nuggets are only 1-9 in their last 10 visits to Vivint Arena. Utah is seeking to end a five-game losing skid at home this season. In the last 10 games, Denver is 5-5 with an average margin of -0.7 (109.2-109.9).
For the season, the Nuggets are averaging 115.9 points per game, compared to 112.6 for opponents. Utah has a 2-8 record over the last 10, allowing 122.8 points per game on average while scoring only 115.8 (-7.0 margin).
NUGGETS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Bruce Brown: 25.0 | 18.8 | +6.2
Nikola Jokic: 14.0 | 45.8 | -31.8
Points per game:
Bruce Brown: 17.2 | 11.4 | +5.8
Nikola Jokic: 7.0 | 24.4 | -17.4
Rebounds per game:
Aaron Gordon: 8.3 | 6.6 | +1.7
Nikola Jokic: 5.0 | 11.7 | -6.7
Assists per game:
Nikola Jokic: 2.0 | 9.7 | -7.7
JAZZ HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Talen Horton-Tucker: 42.8 | 17.8 | +25.0
Points per game:
Talen Horton-Tucker: 31.0 | 10.7 | +20.3
Rebounds per game:
Kelly Olynyk: 11.0 | 6.2 | +4.8
Assists per game:
Talen Horton-Tucker: 6.8 | 3.8 | +3.0
SportsTips’ NBA Pick:
Denver Nuggets (-225)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
