The surprising Utah Jazz take to the road to battle the Denver Nuggets in Northwest Division action on Friday night. The Jazz come in at 4-1 after being picked by many to finish among the bottom feeders in the Western Conference after trading away all-stars Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell this offseason. Denver, meanwhile, has many experts picking them to reach the NBA Finals with the returns of Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. to a roster that includes two-time MVP Nikola Jokic. The opening tap is scheduled for 9:00pm EST.
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The Utah Jazz were ready for change this offseason. Danny Ainge was brought in as CEO of basketball operations, Will Hardy was brought in as the new head coach and, most importantly, the team parted with their two all-stars in C Rudy Gobert and G Donovan Mitchell. Gone were the team leaders in rebounding, scoring and assists. Ainge hired Hardy, a former Celtics assistant coach, to lead this team on the road back to playoff contention. Not so fast, however, as the Jazz' 4-1 start suggests that they may not be ready to give up their playoff spot just yet. On Wednesday night, the Jazz bounced back from their first loss of the season at Houston with a 109-101 victory over the Rockets. Lauri Markkanen had 24 points and nine rebounds and Jordan Clarkson scored 20 points and had six assists while drilling five 3pt field goals. The Jazz shut down the Rockets in the second half of the fourth quarter, allowing just two baskets in that time. < /p>
“Houston scored five points in the last five minutes,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “We were able to get stops when we needed them.”
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— Jarred Vanderbilt (@JVando) October 27, 2022
Utah has been getting it done on the offensive end thus far. They are averaging nearly 119 points through the first five games while shooting the ball at roughly 45%. From the 3pt stripe, they are shooting 36% while waiting for long-time marksman Markkanen to heat up from long range. He has hit on just 24% of his 3pt field goals thus far. On the defensive end, the Jazz are allowing nearly 113 points per game through the first five games and are currently 3rd in the NBA in defending the 3pt shot.
Key Injuries: Forwards Rudy Gay and Simone Fontecchio have both been ruled out for Friday's game.
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