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The Denver Nuggets and Utah Jazz will open their respective NBA seasons with a Wednesday night tilt in Salt Lake City, Utah. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our NBA odds series, which includes a Nuggets-Jazz prediction and pick, laid out below.
The Denver Nuggets finished their 2021-22 regular season with a 48-34 record, good for sixth place in the Western Conference. Denver was out of the playoffs as quickly as they entered, losing the opening round in five games to the eventual champion Golden State Warriors. Head coach Michael Malone has taken this club to the playoffs in four straight seasons.
The Utah Jazz ended their 2021-22 regular season at 49-33, fifth place and one full game ahead of Denver in the Western Conference. For the sixth straight season, head coach Quin Snyder guided this team to the playoffs. Despite their strong record, Utah lost in the opening round to the Dallas Mavericks in just six games, marking their third first-round exit in the last four seasons.
Here are the Nuggets-Jazz NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Odds: Nuggets-Jazz Odds
Denver Nuggets: -7 (-110)
Utah Jazz: +7 (-110)
Over: 225.5 (-110)
Under: 225.5 (-110)
Why The Nuggets Could Cover The Spread
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Nikola Jokic still suits up for Denver, coming off a season in which he averaged 27.1 points per game, 13.8 rebounds per game, and 7.9 assists per game, all three of which led the team. Aaron Gordon ranked second with fifteen points per game, adding 5.9 rebounds per game. Michael Porter, Jr. ranked second on the team with 6.6 points per game, averaging 9.9 points per game despite a 36 percent shooting percentage.
Christian Braun was the team's first-round pick and could see some time in the early part as a shooter off the bench. Braun shot at a 45 percent clip in college, including 38 percent from the three-point range. Jamal Murray is back after missing all of last season with a torn ACL and averaged a career-high 21.2 points per game in his 42 games in 2020-21. Murray is a welcomed addition to this team, averaging nearly five assists in his last three seasons. Denver averaged 112.7 points per game and allowed 110.4 points per game last season.
Why The Jazz Could Cover The Spread
Utah took a huge hit this offseason when Donovan Mitchell, Jr. was traded away. In return, Utah received two solid starters in Lauri Markkanen and Collin Sexton. Markkanen averaged 14.8 points per game last season on 45 percent shooting. Markkanen has made 36 percent of his three-pointers in his career. Sexton is coming off a bit of a down year scoring-wise, averaging sixteen points per game, dropping his career scoring average to a “measly” twenty points per game. Sexton has shot 38 percent from behind the arc in his career but managed just 24 percent from last year. Sexton missed all but eleven games last season after he tore his meniscus in the early part of the season.
Mike Conley has been solid in his three seasons with Utah, averaging 14.6 points and 5.3 assists per game across those years. Kelly Olynyk should see some consistent time this season, being counted on for rebounds more so than his offense. Utah averaged 113.6 points per game while giving up an average of 107.6 points per game. Utah ranked seventh in average scoring last season.
Final Nuggets-Jazz Prediction & Pick
I think Denver is better, but the number might be a bit too large.
Final Nuggets-Jazz Prediction & Pick: Utah +7 (-110), over 225.5 (-110)
