The teams met in Boulder just a couple of days ago, where the Utah Jazz comfortably beat the Denver Nuggets 109:97. The matchup now moves to Utah's home arena, where the hosts will look to build on that success, while the Nuggets aim to correct the mistakes from their first head-to-head meeting of the preseason.
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz traditionally place emphasis on preseason preparation, giving the squad a chance to prove themselves at a more measured, disciplined pace. In their recent game against the Denver Nuggets, the Jazz dominated the boards, winning the rebound battle 54-47, and defended solidly. Key point guard Keyonte George impressed with 15 points, while Lauri Markkanen also made a valuable contribution with 17 points.
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets remain an exciting regular-season team with considerable offensive firepower, but their coaching staff actively experiment with the line-up in preseason games and conserve their key players. In the first game, Nikola Jokic and the other regular starters played limited minutes, which left the team short of consistency, while the bench surrendered the initiative. Only reserve Julian Strawther and starter Aaron Gordon scored 10+ points in the game, although Jokic also produced a memorable no-look pass for a Johnson three-pointer during his 14 minutes on court.
Utah Jazz vs Denver Nuggets Prediction
The Denver Nuggets are rotating their players and have yet to reach peak cohesion, while the Utah Jazz's measured pace at home will again cause problems for the visitors. Given the teams' current form and the result of their first head-to-head meeting, the hosts have an excellent chance of winning again, but it is better to allow a little margin for error.
