Utah Jazz at Denver Nuggets Odds and Predictions Jan 5
Utah Jazz at Denver Nuggets Predictions
WagerTalk NBA handicapper Andy Lang offers his Utah Jazz at Denver Nuggets betting preview for Wednesday, January 5. At the time of posting, the Jazz have opened as a 3.5-point road favorite in Denver, with the total sitting at 223 points.
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| Wednesday, January 5 | NBA Betting Notes |
|---|---|
| Point Spread: | Utah Jazz 3.5 vs Denver Nuggets |
| Total: | 223 Points |
| Game Time: | 10:10pm ET / 7:10pm PT |
| Arena: | Ball Arena |
| TV: | ESPN |
Utah Jazz at Denver Nuggets Analysis
The Utah Jazz continue their road trip in Denver on Wednesday night against the Nuggets. The Jazz are 27-10 after a 115-104 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans in the first game of five road games. Meanwhile, the Nuggets dropped to 18-17 after losing in Dallas by a score of 103-89 against the Mavericks. The Jazz handled business against the Nuggs with a 122-110 victory in their first meeting in Utah.
Donovan Mitchell led the way once again with 29 points in the Jazz last game against the New Orleans Pelicans. The Jazz won the game from beyond the arc, as they went 19 for 39 from three-point land. Mitchell won Western Conference Player of the Month for December while missing time, but I guess that could be said for any player at this point. Utah is relatively healthy with only Joe Ingles on the health and safety protocol list and Hassan Whiteside questionable as he recovers from a concussion. The Jazz have won 9 straight road games with a balanced attack, Mitchell has controlled the perimeter while Rudy Gobert patrols the paint. Gobert is averaging over 15 points and 15 rebounds per game. Utah averages a league high 116 points per game, while ranking 9th with 106 points allowed a game.
The short-handed Denver Nuggets struggled on offense in a loss against the Mavs where they only managed to score 37 points in the first half. Nikola Jokic continued to carry his team with a double double that included 27 points and a game high 16 rebounds. On the positive side Denver won 3 of 4 road games highlighted by a 89-86 victory over the Golden State Warriors. Jokic has put his team on his back, but will need more help from the supporting cast as the season progresses. The Nuggets have been hit hard with injuries, as Michael Porter Jr and PJ Dozier are out for the season. Jamal Murray is still without a timetable for return. Markus Howard, Jeff Green, Monte Morris, Zeke Nnaji, Vlatko Cancar and Austin Rivers all remain questionable with either Covid or injuries.
The Nuggs have struggled to produce offense with only 105.8 points a game, which ranks 23rd in the league. However they have remained solid defensively as they only allow 106 points a game, good for 8th in the league.
The Utah Jazz are 3.5 road favorites with the total set at 223. Both teams are right around .500 when it comes to the over/under. The Nuggets are only 15-20 against the spread, while Utah is only slightly better at 18-19 ATS. There is no hotter team in the league when it comes to road form, as the Jazz have won 9 straight road games. The Nuggets have struggled at Ball Arena with only one win in their last six home games. Jokic has owned Gobert over the years, however he can’t win games singlehandedly. That was illustrated last time out against Dallas. The Jazz are more healthy, have greater squad depth and more players who can contribute on offense. The number seems a little light at only 4.5, so we will be looking for the Jazz to tune up the Nuggets on Wednesday night.
OFFICIAL PLAY: Jazz -3.5
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Utah Jazz at Denver Nuggets Preview from GoldSheet
Rematch from way back pre-Halloween Oct. 26 when the Jazz rolled 122-110 in Salt Lake City. Note, however, that the Nuggets were still very much in that game when Nikola Jokic collided with Rudy Gobert late in the first half, not to return with a knee injury after scoring 24 points in just 15 minutes of court time, while Gobert survived the collision in one piece and ended up leading Utah with 23 points. To the present, and Denver had a chance for a 4-0 road trip (including a win at Golden State) before bowing meekly at Dallas on Monday, outboarded 47-28 despite Kristaps Porzingis out of the Mavs lineup.
We’ll see how it all works vs. Utah, which has some juxtaposed numbers lately, winning nine in a row SU on the road but just 2-8 vs. the spread in its last ten games. Seven of those spread Ls, however, have come laying 7.5 or more, and five of those laying double digits, and the Jazz did just handle the Pels (with Brandon Ingram back in the lineup) without too much trouble on Monday at Smoothie King when three starters (Mitchell, Conley, and Bogdanovic) each scored 20 or more. Utah has also had less issue with health protocols than most team; Joe Ingles became the first Jazz player added to the list on Tuesday, as Utah was the last team to avoid the health and safety protocols. As long as the price doesn’t move into double digits, Utah on the road looks a pretty solid option. Play Utah.
NBA Stat Sheet
Each day, WagerTalk handicapper Ralph Michaels puts together his NBA Stat Sheet, which offers a head-to-head comparison for how teams are performing in a number of key areas heading into a game. Check out Wednesday’s sheet, with notes on tonight’s Utah Jazz at Denver Nuggets contest.
NBA Tip-Off Show
Join Joe Raineri and a rotating panel of guests for the NBA Tip-Off Show at 4:15pm ET / 1:15pm PT as we discuss tonight’s marquee games. Stay up-to-date on the latest NBA news, stats, analysis, and predictions with our panel of professional handicappers as they preview tonight’s NBA action, including this Utah Jazz at Denver Nuggets clash, from a betting perspective.
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