Keagan Smith dives into his pick and prediction for the Denver Nuggets vs. Utah Jazz game on Wednesday\u2019s NBA slate.<\/p>\n
The NBA regular season continues to wind down over the next couple of weeks with just a handful of games remaining on the schedule. The Utah Jazz punted on the remainder of their campaign long ago as the organization settled into the mindset of a tanking team, likely not particularly minding whether the losses pile up. The Denver Nuggets continue to compete night in and night out, though, needing every single win for seeding purposes in the Western Conference playoff picture.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a Nuggets vs. Jazz prediction and pick on DraftKings Sportsbook for Wednesday\u2019s contest.<\/p>\n
Nuggets vs. Jazz prediction, preview<\/p>\n
Denver Nuggets<\/p>\n
The Nuggets hold a 48-28 record on the season and are, like many of the top teams in the Western Conference, riding a winning streak into this contest. They\u2019ve taken six straight and are just two games shy of the third seed with a 1.5-game lead over the fifth playoff spot among a loaded field.<\/p>\n
Denver owns a +4.7 NETRTG that sits seventh in the NBA thanks to the best offense in the Association. The Nuggets score 121.3 PPG and are first in OFFRTG, utilizing elite efficiency and ball movement to get the job done. They shoot 49.5% from the field and 39.5% from three, both top-two marks in the league. They\u2019re also fourth in free throw rate, first in AST\/TO ratio at 2.223, and fifth in dimes with 28.8 assists per game. The Nuggets also come in at 16th in rebounding with 43.5 boards a night, but the defense is certainly the weak point of the roster. They give up 116.6 PPG and are 21st in DEFRTG.<\/p>\n
Nikola Jokic continues to dominate on a nightly basis with 27.9 points, 12.9 rebounds and 10.8 assists a game \u2014 leading the NBA in the latter two stats. He\u2019s joined by a fellow All-Star in Jamal Murray, who brings 25.5 points and 7.2 dimes per contest. Aaron Gordon is probable to play with 16.6 points and 5.9 rebounds as well. Peyton Watson, Tim Hardaway Jr., Cam Johnson and Christian Braun all score in the double digits, too.<\/p>\n
Utah Jazz<\/p>\n
The Jazz could be scary next season, but for now, they\u2019re just 21-55 and two games shy of the bottom of the Western Conference. For the sake of Draft Lottery odds, that\u2019s probably perfectly fine in the eyes of the franchise amidst a lengthy injury report that\u2019s contributed to those losses.<\/p>\n
Utah\u2019s NETRTG of -7.8 ranks 26th in the NBA and the team rides a six-game losing streak into this matchup. The Jazz do score 117.3 PPG, ninth in the league, but they\u2019re 21st in OFFRTG. They shoot 46.6% overall and 34.7% from three, both of which are around league-average marks, and they\u2019re ninth in free throw rate as well. They dish the second-most assists with 29.5 a night and are 10th in AST\/TO ratio at 1.897, but aside from the offense, things are bleak. Utah allows a league-worst 125.4 PPG to opponents, is dead last in DEFRTG, and comes in at 15th in rebounding with 43.6 a game.<\/p>\n
Of course, Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. remain out alongside Jusuf Nurkic and Walker Kessler. Keyonte George also remains sidelined and Isaiah Collier is out as well. Of available players, Brice Sensabaugh leads the way with 14.4 PPG, followed by Kennedy Chandler with 14.2 points and 6.8 assists a game in just six appearances. Rookie Ace Bailey brings 13.5 PPG with Kyle Filipowski also playing a key role thanks to 11.1 points and 7.0 boards a night.<\/p>\n
Nuggets vs. Jazz pick, best bet<\/p>\n
DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Nuggets as -14.5 favorites tonight on the road with -1800 odds on the Moneyline. The Jazz are listed at +1000 odds on the ML with the game total set at 249.5 combined points.<\/p>\n
Wow, is that a high total or what? Clearly, that\u2019s powered by the NBA\u2019s best offense facing off with the equivalent of a wet paper towel against the league\u2019s worst defense. That\u2019s what we\u2019ll play off of for tonight\u2019s top betting pick! Over the last six games, the Jazz have conceded 122, 134, 135, 133, 143, and 126 points. That 135-point outing came at the hands of these same Nuggets on Friday, and I think we could see a repeat of that result\u2026 if not a 140-point game from Denver. There\u2019s just so much talent on that roster and it\u2019s not like there\u2019ll be much resistance in the Nuggets\u2019 way. With Utah\u2019s opponents flirting with their team total of 133.5 points lately, I like the over on that line for the visitors here.<\/p>\n