By james art 
The Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets have built up to face each other and are looking forward to rebounding from a losing streak. Below are player stats, team performance and recent trends, rounding up everything to expect from this game.
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are the reigning NBA champions under MVP-level performer Nikola Jokic.
- Nikola Jokic: Averaged 30.7 points, 11.4 rebounds and 8.8 assists per game over his last 10 games. He’s shooting a whopping 39.6% from the three-point line, all but guaranteeing him as the team’s leading playmaker and scorer.
- Aaron Gordon: Had a game where he scored 31 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, showing some of the offense he could provide if needed. Gordon’s athleticism and defensive versatility make him very valuable against Utah’s taller starting lineup.
- Michael Porter Jr.: Scored 26 in their last loss to Minnesota, showing how effective he can be shooting and contributing on the offensive end.
- Denver, in its last 10 games, is averaging 108.2 points, 43.1 rebounds and 26.0 assists per game. Still, they’re holding opponents to less than 110.1 points per game, and in their recent form, they’ve lost some tough games on the road.
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Utah Jazz
The Jazz are coming off a five-game losing streak, making their already injury-depleted roster even tougher. They again showed that they are quite strong on the road.
- Colin Sexton: Sexton will run the backcourt for the Jazz. He scored 16 points in his last game against the Spurs. His energy coupled with scoring is vital to keeping the balance against Denver’s offense.
- Keyonte George: He scored 15.6 points and dished out 4.8 assists in his last games. Utah has an outside threat in George, whose three-point shooting is a consistent 29.1 percent.
- Walker Kessler: Kessler is a rebounding and shot-blocking specialist, pulling down 5.3 rebounds and blocking 2.4 shots. This may be the area where Utah will need to rely on him to defend against Jokic.
- Over Utah’s last 10 games, they are averaging 105.1 points and 45.5 rebounds while allowing 116.4 points per game on 42.8% shooting, making 80.9% of their free throws.
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Live matches and recent match trends
Jazz has been traveling well lately. They’ve covered the +10 spread six times in their last 10 games and four in a row while on the road. In their last seven games, the Nuggets have failed to cover a -10 line; this speaks of vulnerabilities even in favorable coincidences.
Conclusion
A pretty tough Denver team awaits, and the Utah Jazz finally look to end their long losing streak. Although Denver holds the edge — plus with Jokic playing so well and will be at home — the team has been able to cover lately, especially in road games, and seems to be a good bet for this game to be close as well. Win or lose, expect the game to be competitive for the Utah Jazz.