Nuggets vs Jazz Picks and Odds

• The Nuggets visit the Jazz on Tuesday in a divisional matchup
• Utah is a 7.5-point home favorite
• Find the odds, preview, and prediction below

Two familiar foes will meet on Tuesday, October 26th as Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets visit Donovan Mitchell and the Utah Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 10 PM EST.

This will be the second game of a back-to-back for Denver, who lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday evening. As for Utah, they haven’t lost a game through two contests after victories over the Thunder and Kings.

Last season, the Jazz won two of three against the Nuggets.

Nuggets vs Jazz Odds

Odds as of October 26th at FanDuel

Joker Leading the Way for Denver

By no surprise, the reigning MVP is off to a fantastic start in 2021-22. Prior to Monday’s game, Jokic is averaging 29.5 points, 14.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists on 65% shooting from the field. Although it’s a small sample size, he’s been an absolute beast inside for the Nuggets.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bVXBlr-Wns

Denver beat the Spurs on Friday by a score of 102-96, with the Joker dropping a team-high 32 points and collecting a mind-boggling 16 boards. The backcourt of Will Barton and Monte Morris combined for 25 points, but Michael Porter Jr had just seven. In fact, the sharpshooter has struggled this season following his big payday this past summer. In his first two games, MPJ is averaging a mere 11 points per night on 37.5% shooting from downtown.

One area that Denver has impressed so far though is their ability to knock down shots. Michael Milone’s squad is currently second in the Association with a 60.1 true shooting percentage while also sitting first in FG percentage at 52.1. However, aside from Jokic, they haven’t had much of a presence on the boards, ranking in the bottom-five in rebounds per game. The mistakes also need to be limited, committing 38 turnovers through their first two appearances.

Got the job done defensively last night 🔒

@RMHondaDealers | #MileHighBasketball pic.twitter.com/Mp5ckbIuz5

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) October 24, 2021

The ultimate success of this team will certainly come down to how dominant Jokic is, but the likes of Porter Jr, Aaron Gordon, and Will Barton will need to step up alongside the Serbian, especially until Jamal Murray is back from injury. All in all, through the first week of the campaign, the Nuggets look rather sound on both sides of the ball.

First Tough Opponent for Utah

Although the Jazz are unbeaten to this point, they haven’t exactly faced the toughest of teams. OKC is a rebuilding franchise, while the Kings are also still trying to find their identity, despite having some promising young talent. Utah’s victory over Sacramento was by no means easy though, winning 110-101. The entire contest was very close,  with Quin Snyder’s group even trailing late into the third period.

However, the Jazz went on 10-0 and 6-0 runs in the fourth quarter to pull away for good. Donovan Mitchell led the charge with 27 points but Rudy Gobert was the difference-maker, scoring seven of his 17 points in the final 3.5 minutes. The big man also grabbed 20 rebounds on the night. Utah was down by as many as nine, but their resiliency late in the contest proved to be huge.

After shooting the ball horribly from downtown in their season opener, they improved a lot on Friday, draining 38% of their threes. The Jazz were one of the best teams in the league last season at making it rain and it will certainly be an important part of their success again.

One of ____ lobs Rudy will catch this season 🛫#PowerfulConnections | @Xfinity pic.twitter.com/yOrRaIy7Xm

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) October 24, 2021

Sacramento gave them a serious scare in this game. Even though Denver is going to be playing the tail end of a back-to-back, this is Utah’s first legitimate opponent. Snyder’s squad needs to play with energy from the get-go and not come out sluggish like Friday. Playing at home is always a plus for this team though, going 31-5 in 2020/21 at Vivint Smart Home Arena.

Nuggets vs Jazz Prediction

Denver was 7-6 in back-to-backs last season and after playing at home on Monday then traveling, it could take its toll on them. However, the Jazz weren’t great in their most recent game against a Kings defense who aren’t the strongest and it took a late comeback to secure a win.

The value on the moneyline for the Nuggets is too good to pass up here. Jokic will have a big game and Porter Jr will find his scoring touch against their division rivals.

• Pick: Denver Nuggets +265