Jazz Surging After Slow Start; Denver Showdown Awaits
Nuggets vs Jazz Matchup Odds: Denver Opens -6
Utah has performed better since a poor 4-11 start, but time’s running out for the Jazz to turn their NBA season around. After stringing together back-to-back upset victories, the Jazz will look to make it three in a row when they host the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets on Wednesday (10 p.m. ET).
Early money is unsurprisingly on the Nuggets, who opened as 6-point favorites. The Over/Under, meanwhile, is 238.
What should bettors expect? Read on as we break down both NBA teams and analyze the Nuggets vs Jazz matchup odds in our NBA game preview.
Nuggets vs Jazz 
Day/Time:
Location: Delta Center; Salt Lake City, Utah
Streaming: Watch Live Sports
Nuggets vs Jazz Betting Trends
The Denver Nuggets are 17-20-1 ATS, including just 7-12 from home. Denver’s also only 16-21-1 against the Over/Under, with an 8-10-1 mark on the road. Meanwhile, the Utah Jazz are 21-16 ATS, including 12-4 at home. Utah has gone Over the total in 20 of its 38 games.
That’s important to remember when assessing the Nuggets vs Jazz matchup odds.
For the most part, Denver has picked up from where it left off last season. The defending NBA champions own the third-best record in the Western Conference at 26-12 and are +400 to defend their title. At the moment, only the Celtics (+320) are bigger favorite.
Nikola Jokic has been as good as advertised, averaging a team-high 25.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, 9.2 assists and 1.2 steals. The five-time All-Star leads the NBA with 12 triple-doubles and has joined 76ers star Joel Embiid as a +250 co-favorite to win his third MVP award.
Denver’s won nine of its last 11 NBA games and is coming off a 131-114 rout of Detroit on Sunday, in which it covered as a 15.5-point favorite. The Nuggets are just 17-20-1 ATS but have covered in 10 of their 19 games at home. They’re also 25-10 OU as a favorite.
Efficiency remains a calling card. The Nuggets rank fourth in the NBA in shooting percentage (49.5) and have committed the fewest turnovers per game (11.4). Impressively, they’ve done that despite missing point guard Jamal Murray for a chunk of time due to an NBA injury. Murray is among the NBA assists leaders at 6.2 per game.
The Nuggets — who are also a +200 favorite in the West — are averaging 116.1 points and have scored at least 130 in three of their previous six games. Be sure to keep that in mind when analyzing the Nuggets vs Jazz matchup odds.
Jazz Playing Catch-Up
After a slow start, Utah’s begun to pick up the pace. The Jazz have won eight of their last 10 games to improve to 18-20. Although they’re currently on the outside looking in for the Western Conference playoffs, the Jazz’s resurgence is encouraging.
Utah is coming off back-to-back upsets of Eastern Conference contenders Philadelphia and Milwaukee. The Jazz were 8-point underdogs for Monday’s 132-116 victory over the Bucks but overcame those odds thanks to 21 points and 14 boards from Lauri Markkanen.
The Jazz have been among the NBA’s most profitable teams for bettors, going 21-16-1 ATS. That includes a 12-4 record ATS at home.
Markkanen remains highly productive, averaging 23.5 points on 48.9% shooting to go with 8.6 rebounds. But the lack of a complementary scoring option is holding Utah back. Jordan Clarkson and John Collins have both been the subject of trade rumors, fueling speculation of a sell-off at next month’s deadline. It’s partly why the Jazz have been deemed +1500 longshots to make the NBA playoffs.
Utah ranks bottom 10 defensively, allowing an average of 118.7 points. Its point differential is minus-3.6.
Handicapping the Game
Denver took care of business against Utah on Oct. 30, rolling to a 110-102 victory at home thanks to a triple-double by Jokic (27 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists). Things have since changed for the better for Utah. Even so, it’s hard to look past Utah’s struggles. The Jazz are unquestionably flawed, and they’re running out of time to fix their issues ahead of the Feb. 8 trade deadline.
Thanks to the brilliance of Jokic, Denver continues to play at a championship level. Utah is nowhere near that level. But the Jazz have at least performed above expectations at home, which should help tip the scales to some degree. That shouldn’t go unnoticed when making your NBA picks today.
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