3rd Quarter Report

Down two at the end of the second quarter, the Nuggets now have the lead. Sitting on a score of 98-89, they have looked like the better team, but there’s still one more quarter to play.

If the Nuggets keep playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 18-13 in no time. On the other hand, the Jazz will have to make due with a 7-24 record unless they turn things around (and fast).

Who’s Playing

Denver Nuggets @ Utah Jazz

Current Records: Denver 17-13, Utah 7-23

How To Watch

• When: Monday, December 30, 2024 at 9 p.m. ET
• Where: Delta Center — Salt Lake City, Utah
• TV: Altitude Sports & Entertainmnt
• Follow: CBS Sports App
• Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
• Ticket Cost: $34.00

What to Know

The Jazz will be in front of their home fans on Monday, but a look at the spread shows they might need that home-court advantage. They will welcome the Denver Nuggets at 9:00 p.m. ET at Delta Center. The Jazz might want some stickum for this one as the team gave up 21 turnovers on Saturday.

The Jazz are headed into Monday’s matchup looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their third straight game on Saturday. They fell just short of the 76ers by a score of 114-111. Utah got off to an early lead (up 14 with 5:19 left in the first quarter), but sadly they weren’t able to maintain that momentum.

Even though they lost, the Jazz smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they’ve now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in six consecutive matches.

Meanwhile, the Nuggets beat the Pistons 134-121 on Saturday. Denver pushed the score to 114-89 by the end of the third, a deficit Detroit cut but never quite recovered from.

The Nuggets can attribute much of their success to Nikola Jokic, who shot 4-for-5 from deep and almost dropped a double-double on 37 points and nine rebounds, and Jamal Murray, who went 12 for 21 en route to 34 points plus five rebounds and three blocks. The contest was Jokic’s sixth in a row with at least 30 points.

Utah’s loss dropped their record down to 7-23. As for Denver, their win bumped their record up to 17-13.

While only the Nuggets took care of their fans the last time they played, both teams pleased bettors by covering the spread. Going forward, the Nuggets are the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by seven points. This contest will be Utah’s 23rd straight as the underdogs (so far over this stretch they are 12-10 against the spread).

The Jazz suffered a grim 122-103 defeat to the Nuggets in their previous meeting back in November. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Jokic, who dropped a double-double on 30 points and ten rebounds. Back with a vengeance, will the Jazz be able to stop him this time around? There’s only one way to find out.

Odds

Denver is a solid 7-point favorite against Utah, according to the latest NBA odds.

Bettors have moved against the Nuggets slightly, as the game opened with the Nuggets as a 8.5-point favorite.

The over/under is 240 points.

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Series History

Denver has won 7 out of their last 10 games against Utah.

• Nov 27, 2024 – Denver 122 vs. Utah 103
• Nov 02, 2024 – Denver 129 vs. Utah 103
• Apr 09, 2024 – Denver 111 vs. Utah 95
• Mar 09, 2024 – Denver 142 vs. Utah 121
• Jan 10, 2024 – Utah 124 vs. Denver 111
• Oct 30, 2023 – Denver 110 vs. Utah 102
• Apr 08, 2023 – Utah 118 vs. Denver 114
• Dec 10, 2022 – Denver 115 vs. Utah 110
• Oct 28, 2022 – Denver 117 vs. Utah 101
• Oct 19, 2022 – Utah 123 vs. Denver 102