The Denver Nuggets (48-34, 36-45-1 ATS, 44-36 O/U) battle the Utah Jazz (49-33, 33-45-4 ATS, 37-43 O/U) in the season opener on Wednesday night in Salt Lake City. The Nuggets posted a 48-34 record last season. The Jazz won the division with a 49-33 mark. Utah went 4-0 against Denver last season.
The Denver Nuggets enter the season with big expectations. They feature an experienced roster with star power led by Nikola Jokic. Last season ended with a quick first-round exit to Golden State but they have the ability to be one of the best teams in the conference if they can stay healthy. The Nuggets are the favorite to win the division this year.
Nikola Jokic enjoyed another dominating season in 2021-2022. The 27-year-old star has now won the MVP in back-to-back seasons. He recorded an average of 27.1 PPG along with 13.8 RPG and 7.9 APG. The Joker led the NBA in double-doubles. He averaged a solid 25 PPG and 10.3 APG in three games against the Jazz last year.
The find ??
The bucket ?? pic.twitter.com/OF3mipe8E3
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) October 15, 2022
Jamal Murray missed all of last season with his lingering knee injury and is finally ready to return to the court. The 25-year-old posted an average of 21.2 PPG in 2020-2021 and will play in this game. Michael Porter Jr. missed almost the entire season with an injury as well. The 24-year-old averaged 19 PPG two years ago and is healthy.
Denver has solid veterans including power forward Aaron Gordon who had one of the most productive seasons of his career. The Nuggets didn’t have a busy offseason. Their biggest off-season play was the addition of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. The veteran logged 13.4 PPG last year.
Last season, the Nuggets averaged 112.7 points, landing them 10th in the NBA. They allowed an average of 110.4 points, placing them 14th overall.
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