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That's Kris Dunn, who has done a nice job resurrecting his career as an on-ball defensive bulldog this season.
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Per Cleaning the Glass, only one of the players expected to suit up for Utah today has a usage rate above 15% on the season. The Jazz, on the other hand, are not going to be sending out a real team. The Nuggets have just recently proven that even devoid of Jokic, MPJ, and Murray they have a functional rotation of capable players who fit together fairly well, resulting in a passable collection of shooting, playmaking, and defensive talent. Instead, context and theory of the team must take precedence. It’s foolhardy to overly rely on recent trends when a game like this features so few of the regular cast in major roles. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER Nuggets vs Jazz spread analysis
#JAZZ VS NUGGETS SERIES FULL#
Also, check out our full list of best sportsbook promotions for 2023.Ģ1+. Looking to do some NBA betting? Here are two of the best bonuses* available:Ī) New users at FanDuel can get a no-sweat first bet up to $1,000! Sign Up Nowī) Get a profit boost (up to 100%) on one NBA SGP at DraftKings! Opt-in Now I’m expecting them to prove their worth in a convincing win against a Utah team that has half a foot in Cancun already. sometimes coaches do.ĭenver’s bench players have something real to play for and have found success at times playing together. As we saw just law night with the Dallas Mavericks, while players don’t tank. Not only that, the organizational imperative to lose might bleed into the game itself. Some of the leftovers that will play against Denver will be seeing their first major minutes all season, and they’ll likely be in new roles and/or lineup combinations they have never played a meaningful second together before. Its seven best players - Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler, Kelly Olynyk, Rudy Gay, Talen Horton-Tucker, Collin Sexton, and Jordan Clarkson - have all been ruled out for Saturday’s action. Skeleton crew might even be generous, as the NBA injury report makes Utah’s intentions for Saturday crystal clear: It has zero intention of winning this game. Christian Braun has proven to be a solid rookie on both ends, Reggie Jackson is a veteran ballhandler and shooter, Bruce Brown is a crafty defender and passer, and Peyton Watson has flashed some intriguing upside over this recent stretch.Īll of them will be looking to prove themselves worthy of serious playoff burn, and showing out against the Jazz skeleton crew is their best path to get there. Given Denver’s bench struggles this season, that might not sound overly impressive, but the Nuggets' reserves showed that they were a capable team when allowed to find rhythm in bigger roles. However, just as they did against Phoenix on Thursday, in an equally meaningless game, I expect the Nuggets to play their legitimate bench players for major minutes. Denver has listed its principal stars (Nikola Jokic, Michael Porter Jr., Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon) as questionable and I would be surprised if any of them play today. They may not here care about winning, but there are degrees of not trying. Neither the Denver Nuggets nor the Utah Jazz have much of anything to play for, so this will be a battle between a team that is actively tanking (Utah) and a team that’s just not overly invested in winning (Denver). Jazz are leaning with the favorites - read on to see why.
#JAZZ VS NUGGETS SERIES FREE#
So who has the edge between the Denver bench and Utah's guys out to prove a point? My free NBA picks for Nuggets vs.
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The Nuggets bench players, meanwhile, are each striving to earn the confidence of Michael Malone before he sets his playoff rotation. Utah is packed full of players still fighting for their place in the league, and every rotation minute counts. While the heavy hitters for these teams aren’t going to play this afternoon, there's a reason there are still NBA odds for this game: It still has stakes. The Nuggets have nothing to play for in the standings and as such will likely be rolling out a mostly bench unit, while the Jazz have already been eliminated. We’ve arrived at the penultimate day of the regular season, and the first game on the schedule is a Western Conference matchup between the Denver Nuggets and Utah Jazz.
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