The way Donovan Mitchell started the series he just may carry the Utah Jazz to a win over the Denver Nuggets. Mitchell totaled 87 points in the first two games becoming a hotter topic for Denver's defense. The Jazz's 124-105 Game 2 victory was significant since it was their first in five tries this season against their Midwest Division rival, and it was a strong reaction to their Game 1 overtime setback. Utah will look to Mitchell's hot hand when the clubs gather for Game 4 of their Western Conference NBA playoff series on Sunday.
The game takes place at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 23, 2020, from the ESPN Wide world of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, and will air live on TNT. BookMaker.eu will have odds for every game of the 2020 NBA Playoffs.
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Denver Nuggets (Check Back Later)
Utah Jazz (Check Back Later)
Over/Under (Check Back Later)
Odds Analysis
The Nuggets may have been a little overconfident with the success they had against the Jazz this season. Winning and covering in their three regular season games, the Nuggets extended their SU and ATS streak to four with a series-opening, 135-125, overtime victory. That 10-point margin in Game 1 was nearly as much as the three regular season meetings combined (11). That's right, the matchups were much closer and the Nugs got the edge in those games. And it's not like Denver was that much better during the regular year finishing with two more victories. What was surprising was Utah's dominant 19-point win in Game 2. That's likely an outlier and I expect the contests to be hotly contested the rest of the way.
Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets had an impressive regular season when you consider the number of injuries they dealt with. Starters Jamal Murray, Will Barton and Gary Harris all missed at least 14 games. The break caused by COVID hasn't done much to remedy the problem. Barton, the team's third-leading scorer, and Harris, who averages in double figures, have not played inside the bubble. Barton recently left the bubble to have his knee examined and is done for this series.
One guy who has played every game is Nikola Jokic, and the Nuggets are thankful for that. He won the team's Triple Crown during the regular season with team-highs of 19.9 points, 9.7 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game. He posted double-doubles in the first two games of the series with 29 points and 10 boards in Game 1 and 28-11 in Game 2.
There was good news with Murray's return. He had 23 points in an OT win over Utah during the seeding games and tallied 36 in Game 1. He'll have to shoulder more of the load going forward if the Nuggets want to advance.
Utah Jazz
What can you say about Mitchell? He tallied a team playoff record 57 points in the opener and become a distributor the next game with Denver hounding him. Still, Mitchell dropped 30 in Utah's Game 2 rout while adding eight assists. His teammates helped make the job easier. The Jazz shot 51.7 percent from the field with Jordan Clarkson adding 26.
The return of Mike Conley makes the Jazz a more confident and scarier bunch going forward. Conley exited the bubble for the birth of his child and should be cleared to play in Game 4. "It only adds positives having a player like Mike Conley, and a leader like Mike Conley, back with us," said Rudy Gobert.
One of the better defensive clubs under Quin Snyder, the Jazz held Denver to its lowest point total inside the bubble in Game 2. They pressured the ball better forcing tougher shots and threw a blanket on Murray, who was held to 14 points after scoring 36 in the opener. "We put ourselves in a good position because we were able to defend better", Snyder said.
Player to Watch
Conley instantly becomes the X-factor for the Jazz. He adds another prolific scorer to the lineup and brings veteran leadership and stability along with a strong defensive game. Depth took a hit when second-leading scorer Bojan Bogdanovic was lost for the restart. Conley averaged 18 points and five assists since the restart before exiting the bubble.
NBA Odds Pick
I don't anticipate any more blowout wins in the series. The clubs played four close encounters prior to Utah's Game 2 rout and that seems like the norm. I do like how the Jazz are playing, especially Mitchell, and the return of Conley will create more problems for Denver. However, don't get down on the Nuggets. They rallied through injuries all season and Jokic should be a candidate for league MVP.
NBA Odd Prediction: Nuggets 117, Jazz 112
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