Utah Jazz at Denver Nuggets Betting Preview

Opening Line: Jazz +7 / Nuggets -7 O/U 212

Time: 9 PM EST Sunday January 17, 2010 on ESPN

Tonight in a Northwest Division match up the Denver Nuggets host the Utah Jazz. Denver is atop the Northwest and they lead Utah by 2.5 games in the division. The Jazz are hot, as they have won 4 in a row and are 6-4 in their last 10 games and the Nuggets are getting over a recent slide, as they have won 2 in row, but are only 5-5 in their last 10 games.

This season Denver is 17-3 at home and 18-21 ATS and Utah is 7-11 on the road and 24-16 ATS.

In their last games the Jazz beat the Milwaukee Bucks 112-95 last night and the Nuggets beat the Orlando Magic 115-97 on Wednesday night.

The Nuggets beat the Jazz earlier this month in Utah and that was without stars Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups in the lineup. Tonight the Nuggets will be at full strength, but they will be facing a Utah squad that may be playing their best basketball of the season as of late.

Utah has several players banged up, especially Deron Williams and Andrei Kirilenko, but both are expected to play tonight.

Deron Williams (19.3 ppg) has been solid playing in the Mile High City in his career averaging 23.9 ppg and 11.7 assists while posting 7 straight double-doubles playing in Denver.

Utah will have to play solid defense tonight against a Nuggets team that ranks 3rd in the NBA in scoring this season (107 ppg).

Utah is a legit defensive team ranking 9th in the league in points allowed (96.8 ppg) and they have to slow down the Nuggets tonight and make this a half court game.

Utah has been a better team on the boards this season, as the Jazz have a rebounding differential of +1.0 rpg while the Nuggets are -1.4 rpg. Nene (8.3 rpg) and Kenyon Martin (8.8 rpg) have to have a good game on the glass tonight and not allow Carlos Boozer (10.6 ppg) to dominate the glass.

Utah SM C.J. Miles has to play good D against Carmelo Anthony (29.8 ppg), who leads the league in scoring this season, and not allow him to have a huge offensive game.

The Nuggets have the fewest losses at home this season while the Jazz are 4 games below .500 on the road.

Utah is 5-0-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall, 5-2 ATS in their last 7 road games, and 2-9 ATS in their last 11 against teams in the Northwest Division. Denver is 5-12-1 ATS in their last 18 games, 1-4 ATS in their last 5 against teams in the Northwest Division, and 1-5 ATS in their last 6 home games against teams with a losing road record.


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