Nuggets vs Jazz Predictions & Odds (April 8)
By Quinn Allen in NBA Basketball
Published:
- The Nuggets and Jazz meet on Saturday
- Denver has already clinched the No. 1 seed in the West
- The Nuggets vs Jazz odds, preview, and prediction can be found below
Saturday afternoon brings a Northwest Division matchup between the top-seed Denver Nuggets (52-28, 19-21 away) and the Utah Jazz (36-44, 22-18 home) at Vivinta Arena in Salt Lake City. The tip-off is scheduled for 3:30 PM ET. Read on for an analysis of Nuggets vs Jazz.
Denver locked up the No. 1 seed in the West earlier this week which means they sat the likes of Nikola Jokic, Michael Porter Jr, and Jamal Murray Thursday in a loss to the Phoenix Suns. As for the Jazz, they’re officially eliminated from play-in contention and haven’t won in four games. Utah is also depleted for this matchup, but we’ll get into that more below.
Nuggets vs Jazz Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denver Nuggets | -6 (-110) | -250 | OFF |
| Utah Jazz | +6 (-110) | +205 | OFF |
The Nuggets are a 6-point favorite with moneyline odds of -250. The Jazz comes back at +205. Denver has won two of three meetings this season with their Northwest Division rivals, beating them 115-110 back in December at Ball Arena.
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Odds as of April 7th at FanDuel.
Nuggets Rolling Into Playoffs
It’s been a fantastic season for Denver, who have absolutely thrived with the return of Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. Nikola Jokic is doing Nikola Jokic-type things but the addition of his co-stars has proven to be huge for this team, who are set to play the No. 8 seed from the play-in tournament in the first round.
The Nuggets’ offense ranks fifth in the Association and 11th in PPG. They’re also first in field goal percentage with a 50.5% clip. Saturday’s game marks the front end of a back-to-back for Michael Malone’s squad, finishing up the campaign at home against the Sacramento Kings Sunday.
TOUGH bucket
He's got his season high and counting with 25 🪣 pic.twitter.com/qmq0jCDDgA
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) April 7, 2023
Since a lot of the main guys sat Thursday, that’ll likely be the case again in Utah. Or, Denver may allow them to play and then let them rest for the season finale. Either way, expect some role players to get more minutes regardless. Bruce Brown is one who stood out with a bigger workload in Phoenix, scoring 31 points. Reggie Jackson also added 20 in the Nuggets backcourt.
Promising Future Ahead For Utah
The Jazz started off 2022-23 red-hot and looked to be a possible dark horse in the West. While they quickly fell back down to earth, there are lots of reasons for fans to be optimistic about where the franchise is headed.
Lauri Markkanen had a breakout season after years of being a role player, averaging 25.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 1.9 rebounds on 39% shooting from downtown. That earned the Finland native his very first All-Star appearance. Others such as Collin Sexton, rookie Walker Kessler, and of course veteran Jordan Clarkson profile to be key pieces for years to come.
The Jazz rotation will be shorthanded Saturday. Rudy Gay, Clarkson, Sexton, Markkanen, and Kessler are all out, while Talen Horton-Tucker is questionable. Kris Dunn, the former first-round pick, has been getting more opportunities and played very well on Thursday in a loss to OKC. He dropped 22 points.
First 20-point game for @krisdunn3 since March 2019 💜#PerformanceLeader | @uofuhealth pic.twitter.com/uClaRRENFa
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) April 7, 2023
Dunn had his second 10-day deal eventually turned into a full contract for the remainder of the campaign. He’s averaged 12.3 points, 5.1 assists, and 4.1 rebounds in 20 outings, also shooting over 50% from the field and 45.5% from three-point land. Perhaps Dunn has revived his NBA career.
Nuggets vs Jazz Prediction
The Nuggets will want to finish the season strong, but we can’t forget the Jazz are the best ATS team in the league with a 45-33-2 record. Most importantly, they’re 11-4 as an ATS underdog at home. Utah will make it close at the very least.
Pick: Jazz +6 (-110)
Sports Writer
Quinn Allen is a sports journalist, with a background and education in broadcast journalism (BCIT '17). He is a full-time associate editor at ClutchPoints by day, where he writes about soccer, baseball, basketball, football, and more. At night, Quinn is a frequent contributor at SBD.
