Denver Nuggets vs Utah Jazz Betting Preview: Northwest Division Heavyweights Collide as Jokic Looks to Dominate Gobert Again

When it comes to the Nuggets vs Jazz, I feel like there is not as much rivalry here as there should be. Either way these are two very strong teams hoping to prove so again in the playoffs. Both are walking wounded but finding ways to overcome and win. Nikola Jokic, the future MVP, against Rudy Gobert, a former Defensive Player of the Year is appointment viewing for me.

Denver Nuggets (44-22) vs Utah Jazz (48-18), AT&T Sportsnet Rocky Mountain, 9:00 PM ET

Nuggets Frontcourt Could Win the Day

Both of these teams are missing their starting backcourts due to injury. Denver has to like their chances though as I think they have the best starting frontcourt in the league and beat Utah the last time they played.

Nikola Jokic is going to be MVP, Michael Porter Jr is a rising star and Aaron Gordon is an athletic Swiss Army Knife. I don’t see any other team in the league that has that much firepower or versatility up front.

They need it all though and sometimes that isn’t enough right now. Top guard Jamal Murray is done for the year and Monte Morris and Will Barton are hurt too. Backups PJ Dozier and Facundo Campazzo have been hit and miss and now even Dozier is hurt. The addition of Austin Rivers might finally be paying off though. He scored 25 points in a recent win against the Knicks. In that game, they went extra big with Porter Jr. playing the shooting guard spot and Paul Millsap starting. We will see if that is a trend.

Denver has lots of interesting pieces to try and fit together. They have been somewhat profitable as a road underdog, but I was surprised to see they are the consensus play tonight on the road though.

Utah Back in Top Spot in the West

Utah is missing their starting backcourt of Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley, Jr. That has not slowed them down too much though. The Jazz have won four of their last five and have moved back ahead of the Suns atop the Western Conference.

This is going to be a rare game where both centers are critical. Rudy Gobert is one of the best defenders in the league but the last time these teams played Jokic scored 47 points against the Jazz in an easy Denver win. As good as Gobert is, the “Joker” is a tough cover because he is so comfortable out on the perimeter. If Gobert cannot do more to slow him down in this one, the Jazz are going to have a tough time.

Utah is being cautious with their injured players and it is helping their depth. Joe Ingles is a crafty playmaker who has slid pretty seamlessly into the point guard spot and Georges Niang has been able to produce with more playing time too.

This team is third in the NBA in scoring and defense. They are about as balanced as you can be. That makes it easier for them to plug and play with their injuries.

The Jazz are 22-11 ATS at home this season, so the Nuggets have their work cut out for them tonight.

Denver Nuggets vs. Utah Jazz Matchup: Picks, Odds, Stats and More