The Denver Nuggets will be at Vivint Smart Home Arena to face off against a divisional foe in the Utah Jazz. Action starts at 9:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Feb. 3 and will air on RT and ALT.
The Jazz are expecting a better outcome after their 95-92 loss to the Pistons in their last matchup. Despite the loss, Rudy Gobert earned his sixth double-double this season with 17 points and 17 rebounds. The Nuggets, meanwhile, are coming off a 119-105 loss against the Hawks in their last outing. Will Barton had a team-high 21 points.
Over the last five games, Gobert and Gordon Hayward have played at a high level for the Jazz. During that stretch, Gobert has averaged 14.0 points, 12.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.6 steals, and 2.6 blocks. Not to be outdone, Hayward has put up 24.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 1.4 steals, and 2.4 three-pointers.
The Jazz have emerged victorious in both contests against the Nuggets this year, including a 97-88 victory in their last matchup. Gordon Hayward was the game’s leading scorer with 26 points.
The Jazz, a seven-point favorite, will look to capitalize at home against Denver. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at 194 points. The Jazz are hoping to improve on their records of 22-25 Straight Up (SU) and 25-21-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 4-6 SU and 5-5 ATS when playing their division. Opposing teams know they’re in for a battle when they play Utah’s stingy defense. The Jazz are one of the top teams when it comes to defense, allowing just 96.7 points per game.
On the other side, the Nuggets head into the game with records of 26-20-3 ATS and 19-30 SU. Denver performed well ATS during its last 10 games, earning an 8-2 record. The Nuggets have shown improvement on the offensive end over the most recent 10 game stretch. Over that span, Denver is averaging 107.5 PPG, significantly more than their season average of 100.5.
With the Jazz’s last win against Denver, their SU record against the Nuggets moves to 6-4 over the last 10 meetings. Additionally, the Jazz lead the matchup ATS with a record of 8-2.
Predictions: SU Winner – Uta, ATS Winner – Uta, O/U – Over
Notes
Utah is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Utah’s last 7 games.
Utah is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Utah’s last 7 games when playing Denver.
Utah is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Denver.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Utah’s last 5 games when playing at home against Denver.
Utah is 17-6 SU in its last 23 games when playing at home against Denver.
Denver is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Utah.
Utah ranks 25th in points per game with 97.9, while Denver ranks 23rd in points allowed with an average of 104.0 given up.
On average, Utah puts up 99.2 points per home game (ranked 25th), while Denver gives up 102.9 points per away game (ranked 14th).
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Utah Jazz are a solid 18-7. In games where they fail to hit triple digits, the Denver Nuggets have an underachieving record of 2-16.
At 1-18, the Utah Jazz have a subpar record when their opponents score at least 100 points. The Denver Nuggets are 15-12 when they put up triple digits.
The Nuggets have a defensive rating of 106.8 (ranked 26th). The Jazz rank 11th for their offensive rating of 103.8.
Utah averages fewer possessions per game than Denver, with 93.9 compared to 97.5. However, the Jazz score an average of 1.038 points per possession, more than the 1.022 that the Nuggets score.
Utah has an average effective field goal percentage of 49.4%. Denver is a losing 7-20 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, the Denver Nuggets make 22.2 assists per game and the Utah Jazz make 18.3. Denver is ranked 11th, while Utah is ranked 30th.
The Utah Jazz average 5.0 blocks per game for a rank of 14th. The Denver Nuggets rank lower (17th), earning 4.6 blocks each game.
The Utah Jazz rank seventh in offensive rebounding, while the Denver Nuggets rank 20th in defensive rebounding.
The Utah Jazz average 7.9 steals per game. When giving up 7 or more steals, the Denver Nuggets have a subpar record (10-19) this season.
