The Denver Nuggets host the Utah Jazz on Sunday night in the Association! It's time to continue our NBA odds series with a Jazz-Nuggets prediction and pick.
The Utah Jazz are once again off to another great start to the NBA season. They are 28-14 which is good for fourth in the Western Conference. They were even better until covid-19 restrictions and injuries suddenly hit them like a rock. The Jazz have been without a majority of their team for the last few games and they have lost four straight because of it. Everyone is slowly returning but the Jazz aren't going to get back in their groove without their stars back. The team still has about four players on the covid-19 list and they could be set to return this upcoming week.
As for the Denver Nuggets, they are coming off a huge blowout win over the Los Angeles Lakers Saturday night. Nobody expected them to win by 37, especially against a LeBron James led team. They played like the way better team out there and that win might have really sparked the Nuggets to get back to their usual self. Denver is also dealing with health and safety protocols and has a handful out for this game. They should be okay though because as long as Bones Hyland is playing, the Nuggets have a real chance to compete. Hyland is fresh off of a 27-point game shooting 6-10 from beyond the arc against LA.
Here are the Jazz-Nuggets NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Jazz-Nuggets Odds
Utah Jazz: -5 (-110)
Denver Nuggets: +5 (-110)
Over: 223.5 (-112)
Under: 223.3 (-108)
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Why The Jazz Could Cover The Spread
Utah is coming off a bad loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers four days ago. They have had a decent couple of days off and they will have some players return because of it. The Jazz announced that Rudy Gobert and Rudy Gay are scheduled to return and are available to play against the Nuggets. We will see if they actually suit up and play. If they do, the Jazz will be just about back to normal and we should see them excel once again. Utah hasn't lost a divisional game all year long, going 9-0 to start the season.
The Jazz are playing the Nuggets for the third time this season where they won both of the prior matchups. Bojan Bogdanovic notched 36 points in the win and that just shows you how valuable this team can really be. They have multiple scoring threats and make their mark on the defensive end. If Gobert plays, he will be on Nikola Jokic all game long and should defend the former MVP pretty well. That is their key to covering this spread tonight.
Why The Nuggets Could Cover The Spread
Denver is feeling really good after their win over the Lakers last night. They are 15-12 against the West this year which is a really good sign moving forward. Denver has been without star point guard Jamal Murray all year long and will be without Michael Porter Jr. for likely the season as well. They need to figure out a way to be consistent without those two crucial players. The Nuggets are still finding ways to win games, but if they want to continue to do so, they might need to make a change.
This Western Conference is stacked with talented teams and the Nuggets are one of them when fully healthy. Despite the rough stretch with injuries, the Nuggets are 7-3 in their last 10 games. They are defending very well keeping opponents under 102 points on average. If their defense rises up once again against the Jazz, they will have a chance to cover this spread. Defending Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley is not an easy task. The Jazz are very good defensively but have allowed 113 points per game over their last 10. Denver needs to take advantage of that if they want to cover this spread.
Final Jazz-Nuggets Prediction & Pick
This will be a tough one to pick because it looks like the Jazz will be almost full again. Since that is the case, I'm going with the Jazz to cover this spread on the road here. Denver is on a back-to-back while Utah had three days off. I think that will play a factor and the Jazz cover this spread.
Final Jazz-Nuggets Prediction & Pick: Jazz -5 (-110)
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