Northwest Division foes will lock horns when the Utah Jazz (33-41) face the Denver Nuggets (28-46) at EnergySolutions Arena. Action begins at 9:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Apr. 1 and can be seen on Altitude and ROOT-NW.
The Jazz played well in their last game, blowing out the Timberwolves 104-84 on Monday. Gordon Hayward was the game’s leading scorer with 22 points on 7-for-15 shooting. The Nuggets, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after the 120-114 loss against the Trail Blazers on Saturday. Jameer Nelson had a team-high 22 points.
Over the last five games, Rudy Gobert has taken his game to another level for the Jazz, averaging 14.4 points, 13.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.0 steal, and 2.8 blocks.
It’s a matchup of two different tempos, as the fast-paced Nuggets (ranked fourth in the NBA in possessions per game) square off against the methodical Jazz (30th).
The Nuggets lead the season series against the Jazz two games to one, including a 107-91 win the last time these two teams met. Ty Lawson had a stellar game with 18 points, four rebounds, nine assists, three steals, and one block.
The odds for Utah and Denver are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable as of now. The Jazz have gone 33-41 Straight Up (SU) and 40-33-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 7-7 SU and 9-5 ATS against divisional opponents. Opposing teams know they’re in for a battle when they play Utah’s stingy defense. The Jazz are the top team when it comes to defense, allowing a league-low 94.9 points per game. Opponents have consistently had their shots rejected by the Jazz, ranking third in the league in blocks per game with 6.0. Utah will look to take advantage of the Nuggets and their propensity to foul. Denver has committed the most fouls in the league, averaging 22.7 per game.
As for their opponent, the Nuggets have 28-46 SU and 32-39-3 ATS records. Denver performed well ATS during its last 10 games, earning a 7-3 record.
In their previous meeting this season, Denver beat Utah, bumping its SU record over the last 10 meetings to 6-4. The teams are even ATS, with a 5-5 record. Over the last 10 matchups, Denver held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers three times. Utah performed this feat twice.
Predictions: SU Winner – UTA, ATS Winner – UTA
Notes
Ranked 27th, Utah scores 94.8 points per game. On the other hand, Denver gives up 103.8 and also ranks 27th (in points allowed).
Denver averages 98.5 points per away game this season. However, Utah is the top-ranked team in points allowed at home, giving up just 93.8 points per game.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Jazz are 30-15 on the season. When the Nuggets score fewer than 100, they are an abysmal 4-26.
At 3-26, the Utah Jazz have a subpar record when their opponents score at least 100 points. The Denver Nuggets are 24-20 when they put up triple digits.
The Nuggets have a defensive rating of 104.2 (ranked 22nd). The Jazz rank 15th for their offensive rating of 102.4.
Utah averages fewer possessions per game than Denver, with 92.5 compared to 99.7. However, the Jazz score an average of 1.024 points per possession, more than the 1.008 that the Nuggets score.
Utah has an average effective field goal percentage of 49.3%. Denver is an abysmal 5-33 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, the Denver Nuggets make 21.7 assists per game and the Utah Jazz make 19.8. Denver is ranked 16th, while Utah is ranked 30th.
With 6.0 blocks per game, the Utah Jazz rank third in the league. The Denver Nuggets are in the top half of NBA teams for blocking, ranking 14th with 4.7 blocks per game.
Utah ranks among the best in the league in offensive rebounding at fourth, while Denver ranks a solid 12th in defensive rebounds.
The Utah Jazz average 7.5 steals per game. When giving up 7 or more steals, the Denver Nuggets have an underachieving record (12-36) this season.
