Utah Jazz at Denver Nuggets: NBA Picks & Predictions
Written April 2, 2009 by Steve Janus
The Denver Nuggets are most definitely heading for the NBA playoffs this year. Tonight they host their division-rival, the Utah Jazz at the Pepsi Center in Denver. The Nuggets are 1 1/2 games ahead of Portland in the division and 2 1/2 games in front of the Utah Jazz. If the season ended today the Jazz would also be in the playoffs, but they could stand to make up some ground in the Northwest win a win tonight over the Nuggets. Utah is 2-1 against Denver this season and has won 11 of the last 14 meeting between the two squads, but they’ve split the last 8 contest at Denver 4-4. Tonight’s game tips at 10:30 PM EST and the NBA odds show Denver as 5 point favorites over the Jazz and the total set for 208 points.
Denver has won 6 straight home games after beating the New York Knicks last night 111-104. Carmelo Anthony lead Denver with 29 points, and though the Nuggets saw a 27 point lead evaporate, they held on for their 49th win of the season. The win put the Nuggets in 2nd place in the West playoff standings, just a half game in front of the San Antonio Spurs and one game in front of the Houston Rockets. This is a key spot for the Nuggets to keep pace with the teams one their heels, but it could also be their first round matchup in the playoffs. Denver controls their own destiny at this point. They may have clinched a playoff spot, but where they end up being seeded will rely completely on their play over their last 7 games of the regular season.
The Jazz have a chance tonight to make up some ground in the division if they can find a way to get past the Nuggets on the road, where the Jazz have been notoriously bad winning just 14 of their 36 road games this year. Utah had a two-game winning streak snapped in their most recent game, Tuesday at Portland. The Jazz currently hold the 7th spot in the West in for the playoffs, but they are just one game behind the fifth-seeded New Orleans Hornets. Much like their counterparts tonight, the Jazz control their destiny as far as the playoffs are concerned. If their not careful they could miss out on post-season play, but if they finish strong they could vastly improve their seed in the this year’s playoffs.
Denver holds the edge offensively in this game, while the Jazz have played better defense on the whole this year. Both teams are very close in terms of statistics overall, but the Jazz have see a significant drop-off in their performance on the road, scoring 2 points less per game and allowing 5 points more per game. Denver gets the nod in rebounding, and they have a much deeper bench than the Jazz, but Utah shoots better from the floor and has a better turnover ratio than the Nuggets. With these teams fairly even on paper, I’m going with the Nuggets at home as they continue to be one of the hottest teams in the NBA to finish the regular season.
Predicted Score: Denver Nuggets 110, Utah Jazz 101
Play on: Denver Nuggets -5, Jazz/Nuggets OVER 208
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