We’ve got a Rocky Mountain battle on our hands this fine Friday night. The Utah Jazz will hump over the mountains to Denver (on a plane, not in covered wagons) for a clash with the Nuggets. It’s a good old-fashioned rivalry game.
Denver is an 18.5-point home favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook, while Utah sits as a +1100 underdog. The total is set at 248.5 points.
Let’s get into a prediction and pick for Friday’s matchup between the Jazz and Nuggets.
Jazz vs. Nuggets preview
First things first, the injury report. Because it’s an absolute doozy for the Utah Jazz. There’s waving the white flag, then there’s what the Jazz are doing.
These players will be out: Isaiah Collier, Keyonte George, Jaren Jackson Jr., Jusuf Nurkic, Walker Kessler and Lauri Markkanen. That’s an entire starting lineup on the sidelines. Kyle Filipowski, one of their only good bench players, is questionable with an illness. Safe to say that the Jazz are not playing with a full deck tonight.
Meanwhile, the Nuggets are as healthy as they can be. Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon have all worked through various injuries this season, but now they’re gearing up for another playoff run. And it sure looks dangerous, especially with Jokic playing this well. In their last two games, a back-to-back against the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks, he looked to be his MVP self. The Joker put up 46 points, 38 rebounds and 36 assists across those two wins. It was an absurd performance.
Do the Jazz have a chance of slowing his roll? Or will the Joker power through for a fifth straight Nuggets win?
Jazz vs. Nuggets pick, best bet
This is an absurd spread. But it’s well-earned. Utah has lost three straight games, and those losses were by 10, 16 and 23 points. At a certain point, you can’t do much about the deluge of injuries the Jazz are facing.
Betting on a team to win by 20 or so points feels risky, but the Nuggets are rolling, and the Jazz have no intention of winning this game. It’s going to be a romp for Denver.
