Denver Nuggets vs Utah Jazz Prediction: The Nuggets are finding their way

The NBA Regular Season has been in full flow we are barely ten days into the action so the early trends can be misleading. There have been some great plays from teams that were expected to be worse than they look right now but we can’t make a broad assumption yet because defenses are still figuring out how to stall the offensive charge. One of the teams that have exceeded expectations is the Utah Jazz and they will face the Denver Nuggets in this game.

The Nuggets come into this game after defeating the lackluster Los Angeles Lakers 110:99 as Nikola Jokic dumped in 31 points. The Nuggets were tied 54 till halftime and then a decisive 32:17 third quarter put them in the driving seat. This win marked third win in five games for the Nuggets squad that is still finding out their combinations in the early going and remain heavily dependent upon Nikola Jokic.

And why should they not be dependent upon Nikola? He is the best All-Around Center who has been a key part of the squad, carrying the major weight last year when Murray and Porter Jr. missed the season. Jamal Murray is yet to find his groove but can be a scoring upgrade over last year’s guard Monte Morris in the long run, but so far, he has struggled to get back his old rhythm.

The frontline looks amazing with Michal Porter Jr., Bruce Brown, and Aaron Gordon. Acquiring Brown has given them an injury cover for Michael and in the last game, he played tremendous defense and put up 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was a solid pick-up too in the Will Barton trade whereas sophomore Bones Hyland has had a tough start to the season thus far.

The Jazz comes into the game after beating the Houston Rockets 109:101 as Lauri Markkanen inserted 24 points in another impressive outing. Jazz has been a fairytale thus far and have won four out of five wins. They have beaten the Nuggets during the season opener, while also nabbing wins against two other tough teams in the Minnesota Timberwolves and the New Orleans Pelicans.

Their rebounding has been impressive, especially on the offensive end as Lauri Markkanen, Kelly Olynyk, Jarred Vanderbilt and Walker Kessler have combined to make it a solid board-hoarding unit. They are top-five in assists per game and they have multiple shot-creators that can keep the ball ticking. Their guard combinations have also picked up a bunch of steals and they have done a great job of guarding the perimeter. One big concern has been the runovers, and the team has turned it over more than 16 times a game, which is bottom-two in the league.

But that’s fine, it also shows that the team has the willingness to be aggressive and don’t hold back. Lauri Markkanen has been phenomenal, scoring over 20 points a game while Jordan Clarkson has done his usual bit scoring-wise. Kelly Olynyk has once again contributed in big ways whereas Malik Beasley’s long-range shooting gives the team a special edge which means they are blessed with multiple amazing shooters. Mike Conley has led the playmaking front and the Jazz has surely done a lot with less.

• Jazz: OUT: Simone Fontecchio, Rudy Gay. QUESTIONABLE: Walker Kessler, Colin Sexton;
• Nuggets: OUT: Colin Gillespie. QUESTIONABLE: Michael Porter Jr., Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

• Likely 25+ Points Candidate: Nikola Jokic. Likely 20+ Points Candidates: Jordan Clarkson, Lauri Markkanen;
• Likely 8+ Rebounds Candidates: Nikola Jokic, Jarred Vanderbilt, Lauri Markkanen, Aaron Gordon;
• Likely 8+ Assists Candidates: Nikola Jokic, Mike Conley.

The Nuggets have been getting back in rhythm but their campaign keeps taking a blow as Michael Porter’s injuries keep on resurfacing. Murray hasn’t been himself but the team looks deeper than last season because of the inclusion of Bruce Brown, who can fill in for multiple positions and is a great injury cover. The Nuggets’ offense will be effective with Jokic in the middle but Murray still needs to pick it up.

The Jazz put up a 123:102 win when they clashed against the Nuggets which sparked a strong run that has resulted in a winning record so far. The Jazz will be once again posing huge problems as they have multiple shot-creators and Markkanen has been nailing his three-pointers. I believe the Nuggets will win here but this can be a high-scoring game that can down the wire.