Denver Nuggets vs Utah Jazz Prediction: The Nuggets need more defense, the Jazz struggling away from home

NBA has been on and this has been a spectacular season that has brought to us some memorable battles. As we go deeper, the stakes are going to raise and the trade scenario is going to mount up. In this Regular season game, the Denver Nuggets are going to take on the Utah Jazz in an inter-conference match-up.

The Nuggets come into this game after a last-gasp 121:120 victory against the Portland Trail Blazers as Nikola Jokic scrapped up 33 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists. The Nuggets have won 15 and lost 10 but their defense has been a bit iffy, as they have lost three of their last four match-ups. They have been better than last season but needs to fix their defense as soon as possible, not having Michael Porter Jr. hurts but even with him, they have let the valve loose more than they should have.

They are the second-worst squad in terms of of opposition field goal percentage, having conceded 49%. Due to this, they have lost a bunch of games in the late scenario and have had to scrap offensively. The bright side is that they have been number one in the field goal percentage with 50.1%. Nikola Jokic is a methodical offensive player whereas Aaron Gordon and Jamal Murray have provided ample offensive support. Bruce Brown’s versatility has increased the depth and so has Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. The bench has been decent but is majorly dependent upon Bones Hyland. At the end of the day, the Nuggets will need Porter Jr. back and fix their defensive issues.

The Jazz enters the game after suffering a 108:118 home loss against the Timberwolves despite a 23 points outing by Malik Beasley. They have lost two out of their last three and have fallen off after a 10-wins and three losses start. Their overall record is 15 wins and 13 losses and the downfall may have been majorly caused by the absence of Mike Conley. Currently, they have played without Lauri Markkanen which hampered their progress after they had won a couple in a row. Markkanen has been the leading scorer in terms of average but the offense has multiple players who can score above 20.

The Jazz has rolled in more than 14 triples a game and have been constantly among the top-five three-point shooting teams. While their defense isn’t wholly terrible, one huge issue has been their inside defense as they allowed teams to score 32.5 field goals a game, which is the worst effort in that sphere throughout the league. Jordan Clarkson, Mike Beasley, Colin Sexton, and Mike Conley make for a deep Guard rotation but the team lacks the size at times, something which Walker Kessler can address but in long term. The Jazz may not be able to sustain a winning record and in the trade window, their moves will be interesting to see.

• Jazz: OUT: Johnny Juzang, Colin Sexton. Game-Time Decisions: Lauri Markkane, Simone Fontecchio;
• Nuggets: OUT: Michael Porter Jr, Collin Gillepsie. PROBABLE: Jamal Murray, Jeff Green.

• Expected Leading Scorers: Nikola Jokic(27-33 Points), Jordan Clarkson(20-25 Points);
• Expected Leading Rebounders: Nikola Jokic(11-14 Rebounds), Lauri Markkanen(9-12 Rebounds);
• Expected Leading Playmakers: Nikola Jokic(9-12 Assists), Jordan Clarkson(7-9 Assists).

The Nuggets have been suffering defensively but one plus side of playing against a squad in Jazz that has trouble containing inside offense. The Nuggets are a prolific rebounding squad and the Jazz does allow a ton of offensive rebounds which makes for an intriguing match-up. Playing at home and playing a strong brand of offense, I believe the Nuggets will play a stellar style of basketball. I predict a scoreline of 124:117 in favor of the Nuggets.