The Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets are essentially neck-and-neck in the Western Conference standings as both fight for a potential No. 2 seed behind the Los Angeles Lakers. The Jazz are in Denver on Thursday with the game opening as a pick’em on the Mybookie NBA odds.
How to Bet Jazz vs Nuggets NBA Odds & Game Info
- When: Thursday, 10:30 PM ET
- Where: Pepsi Center
- TV: TNT
- Live Stream: NBA League Pass
- Radio: SiriusXM
- NBA Odds: Pick’em (Total 215.5)
Jazz vs Nuggets Season Series
Almost impossibly, this is the first meeting of the season between Northwest Division rivals. The Jazz won three of four meetings last year and have taken the past nine at home in the series but are just 37-60 all-time in Denver.Did you know that Jazz All-Star center Rudy Gobert was selected by the Nuggets in the first round of the 2013 NBA Draft (27th overall pick) and traded to Utah in exchange for Utah’s second round pick, Erick Green (46th overall pick) and cash considerations on draft night? Huge mistake by Denver in retrospect but Gobert wasn’t a top prospect back then.
Why Bet on Utah?
Second of a back-to-back for Utah as it visited San Antonio on Wednesday to begin a three-game road trip.The Jazz saw Donovan Mitchell explode in Monday’s shocking loss to Houston with 36 points on 14-for-25 from the field. Mitchell surpassed the 30-point mark for the first time since January 16, when he dropped 46 in an overtime loss to the Pelicans. For the month he’s averaging 23.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists while shooting 46.3% from the field, 40.5% from three and 94.4% from the foul line. Mitchell is the first NBA player since LeBron James to score more than 4,500 points, grab more than 800 rebounds and dish more than 800 assists in his first 200 games.
Rudy Gobert is currently tied for fourth in the NBA with Kristaps Porzingis in blocks per game, averaging 2.0. They trail only Hassan Whiteside (3.0), Brook Lopes (2.5) and Anthony Davis (2.5). Gobert is currently the only player in the NBA to be averaging a point-rebound double-double while also shooting greater than 65 percent from the field. Gobert is also the first player since Wilt Chamberlain in 1966-67 to average more at least 15 points and 14 rebounds while shooting at least 65 percent from the field.
More Numbers
Bojan Bogdanović is averaging 21.3 points per contest, which currently leads the league for all active second round draft picks this season. Brooklyn’s Spencer Dinwiddie (21.2) is the only second round draft pick currently averaging more points.Bogdanović is currently knocking down 3.1 three pointers per contest, good for the most all time by a Jazz player ahead of Rodney Hood (2.6 in 17-18), Joe Ingles (2.5 in 17-18) and Mitchell (2.4 in 18-19). Jazz forward Georges Niang (45.1) ranks fourth in the NBA in three-point percentage, trailing only George Hill (52.3), Doug McDermott (46.8) and JJ Redick (46.8). Joe Ingles has now played 351 straight games, the longest active streak in the NBA. Also, since the start of the 2014-15 season, Ingles has played in more games (453) than anyone else in the NBA.
Why Bet on Denver?
The Nuggets come off a 104-96 loss in Memphis on Tuesday. Dillon Brooks scored 24 points, Jonas Valanciunas had 23 points and 12 rebounds, and the Grizzlies beat Denver 104-96 Tuesday night for their third straight win. The previous two games in the series this season were won by Denver. This time, Memphis led wire-to-wire, jumping ahead by as many as 19. It was the first time this year the Grizzlies have led from start to finish. Memphis outscored the Nuggets in the paint — 76-22 — and had 19 fastbreak points to Denver’s nine.
Nikola Jokic hit 8-of-16 shots and three 3-pointers for 25 points, 13 rebounds, five assists with seven turnovers Tuesday. Turnovers have been a bit of an issue for the Joker lately, as he had six in his previous game, six on Jan. 22 and nine on Jan. 16. Jokic leads the NBA with three game winners this season and has made six game winning field goals with less than 10 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter or overtime over the last two seasons, most in the NBA. Paul George is second with four.
Some Health Problems
Jerami Grant hit 7-of-17 shots and a career-high six 3-pointers on his way to 21 points, four rebounds and four assists Tuesday. Grant is averaging 23 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists over his past two while scoring in double digits in six straight. Grant has been playing more with Paul Millsap sidelined due to a sore knee. He has missed the past 11. Jamal Murray also has missed a handful due to an ankle injury and won’t likely play Thursday. Rookie Michael Porter Jr. was held to eight points Tuesday. He had reached double figures in seven straight games in which he played.When Denver has 25 or more assists in a game, they are 24-6 this season. The Nuggets rank fourth in the NBA in assist to turnover ratio and sixth in the league for fewest turnovers per game. Denver is 11-1 in games when holding opponents under 100 points. The Nuggets rank fifth in the NBA in total games holding their opponents under 100 points (12).
Jazz vs Nuggets NBA Betting Trends
- Nuggets are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games played on a Thursday
- Nuggets are 15-4 SU in their last 19 games at home
- The total has gone UNDER in 14 of Denver’s last 17 games against Utah
- Jazz are 13-4-1 ATS in their last 18 games
- Jazz are 8-3 SU in their last 11 games against an opponent in the Western conference
- The total has gone OVER in 6 of Utah’s last 6 games on the road
