Through 2 Quarters
The Utah Jazz are flexing their muscles against the Denver Nuggets, showing why they were favored to win all along. The Jazz are way out in front at halftime with a 68-58 lead over Denver.
Shooting guard Donovan Mitchell (15 points) and small forward Bojan Bogdanovic (13 points) have been the top scorers for Utah. The Nuggets have been relying on the performance of center Nikola Jokic, who has 18 points and six assists along with seven rebounds.
This is the first time Denver has been down going into the third quarter in the past six games.
Who’s Playing
Utah @ Denver
Current Records: Utah 28-14; Denver 22-19
What to Know
The Denver Nuggets haven’t won a game against the Utah Jazz since Jan. 31 of last year, but they’ll be looking to end the drought on Sunday. The Nuggets are getting right back to it as they host Utah at 8 p.m. ET Jan. 16 at Ball Arena. Denver is out to keep their three-game home win streak alive.
You can’t lose the contest if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Denver’s strategy against the Los Angeles Lakers this past Saturday. Denver took their matchup at home with ease, bagging a 133-96 win over Los Angeles. The game was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point Denver had established a 102-79 advantage. They got their victory on the backs of several key players, and it was power forward Jeff Green out in front picking up 26 points.
Meanwhile, the Jazz have to be hurting after a devastating 111-91 defeat at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers last week. Utah was down 88-68 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from. Small forward Bojan Bogdanovic had a pretty forgettable game, finishing with only nine points on 3-for-14 shooting in his 34 minutes on the court.
Denver is expected to lose this next one by 5.5. They might be worth taking a chance on against the spread, however, as they are currently on a two-game streak of ATS wins.
Denver’s win lifted them to 22-19 while Utah’s loss dropped them down to 28-14. We’ll see if Denver can repeat their recent success or if Utah bounces back and reverse their fortune.
How To Watch
- When: Sunday at 8 p.m. ET
- Where: Ball Arena — Denver, Colorado
- TV: Altitude Sports & Entertainmnt
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Ticket Cost: $16.00
Odds
The Jazz are a solid 5.5-point favorite against the Nuggets, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Jazz as a 4.5-point favorite.
Over/Under: -110
See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
Utah have won 18 out of their last 31 games against Denver.
- Jan 05, 2022 – Utah 115 vs. Denver 109
- Oct 26, 2021 – Utah 122 vs. Denver 110
- May 07, 2021 – Utah 127 vs. Denver 120
- Jan 31, 2021 – Denver 128 vs. Utah 117
- Jan 17, 2021 – Utah 109 vs. Denver 105
- Sep 01, 2020 – Denver 80 vs. Utah 78
- Aug 30, 2020 – Denver 119 vs. Utah 107
- Aug 25, 2020 – Denver 117 vs. Utah 107
- Aug 23, 2020 – Utah 129 vs. Denver 127
- Aug 21, 2020 – Utah 124 vs. Denver 87
- Aug 19, 2020 – Utah 124 vs. Denver 105
- Aug 17, 2020 – Denver 135 vs. Utah 125
- Aug 08, 2020 – Denver 134 vs. Utah 132
- Feb 05, 2020 – Denver 98 vs. Utah 95
- Jan 30, 2020 – Denver 106 vs. Utah 100
- Apr 09, 2019 – Utah 118 vs. Denver 108
- Feb 28, 2019 – Utah 111 vs. Denver 104
- Jan 23, 2019 – Utah 114 vs. Denver 108
- Nov 03, 2018 – Denver 103 vs. Utah 88
- Jan 05, 2018 – Denver 99 vs. Utah 91
- Dec 26, 2017 – Denver 107 vs. Utah 83
- Nov 28, 2017 – Utah 106 vs. Denver 77
- Oct 18, 2017 – Utah 106 vs. Denver 96
- Jan 24, 2017 – Denver 103 vs. Utah 93
- Dec 03, 2016 – Utah 105 vs. Denver 98
- Nov 23, 2016 – Utah 108 vs. Denver 83
- Nov 20, 2016 – Denver 105 vs. Utah 91
- Apr 10, 2016 – Utah 100 vs. Denver 84
- Feb 03, 2016 – Utah 85 vs. Denver 81
- Dec 18, 2015 – Utah 97 vs. Denver 88
- Nov 05, 2015 – Utah 96 vs. Denver 84
Injury Report for Denver
- Rodney McGruder: Out (Not Injury Related)
- Austin Rivers: Out (Illness)
- JaMychal Green: Out (Covid-19)
- Jamal Murray: Out (Knee)
- Vlatko Cancar: Out (Foot)
- Michael Porter Jr.: Out for the Season (Back)
- PJ Dozier: Out for the Season (Knee)
Injury Report for Utah
- Elijah Hughes: Out (Covid-19)
- Jared Butler: Out (Covid-19)
- Hassan Whiteside: Out (Covid-19)
