Tonight, 2 of the hottest Western Conference teams collide as the Denver Nuggets visit the Utah Jazz. Both have an 8-2 record over the last 10 games. The hosts are starting to show the form that made them one of the surprise packages last season. This current streak has moved them up to just outside the play-in positions. Considering they are just a game behind the Los Angeles Lakers, look for them to come out mo tivated to keep pressure on their rivals.
You can check out all of our NBA picks. But for now let's jump into my Nuggets vs Jazz Same Game Parlay.
Over the last 5 games the Utah Jazz offense has been on fire, scoring 120 or more points in 4 of those contests. The only team they failed to do that against is the Boston Celtics, a team 2nd in the league in defensive rating this season. They are unlikely to encounter the same resistance against the Nuggets. They have been running with smaller lineups too, with John Collins at center. It shows in their tempo as over the last 10 games they are 5th in pace. Look for them to up that tonight as they look to beat Nikola Jokic down the floor. Expect the Nuggets to get their fair share of points too. Their main playmaker in Jokic will have a huge size advantage on the inside. He will likely see plenty of double teams here. For a player with his vision, that should lead to open and clean looks for his teammates.
Another area where you can expect Jokic to dominate tonight is the boards. While he has not recorded 10 or more rebounds in his last 3 games, this should be a favorable matchup for him to bounce back. In December he has 14 or more boards on 6 occasions, so it is something he is more than capable of pulling off. John Collins is not a volume 3-point shooter so Jokic should have more time in the paint. With his considerable bulk advantage, he should be able to position himself perfectly for both offensive and defensive rebounds. With the pace I expect the Jazz to deploy here, there should be plenty of misses for the Serbian to grab.