Utah Jazz vs. Denver Nuggets Betting Pick – August 17, 2020

The Utah Jazz finished the regular NBA season in the 6th place in the West, and now are facing a tough task to eliminate the Denver Nuggets and progress to the second round of the playoffs.

That is going to be very hard as the Nuggets ended the season as the third-best team in the conference, and this time around, Denver has aspirations to make it to the Western finals. The tip-off is set at 1:30 PM ET.

These conference rivals have met on three occasions this season, and the Nuggets swept the series with a double-overtime 134-132 victory in the Orlando bubble. Take a look at my Jazz vs. Nuggets betting pick as we expect a lot of excitement in this game.

The sportsbooks are giving the advantage to Denver in the opening game of the series, mostly because the Nuggets already beat the Jazz three times in this campaign.

Considering it’s the playoffs, I don’t expect to see a bunch of points like it was the case in the most recent H2H, but the total is set at 215.5, which could be quite tempting for the Over bettors.

These are some of the most popular odds, while you can check the rest of the odds and markets at most of the leading basketball betting sites.

Utah opened the bubble with a narrow win over the Pelicans, but then they suffered five defeats in the next six games before bounced back with a victory over the Spurs. The Jazz are 4-6 ATS in the last ten outings, 2-3 ATS as underdogs, and 6-4 O/U during that period.

"He's got the feel!"#ThreesOfTheWeek | @MountainAmerica pic.twitter.com/6tU0zV04ji

— utahjazz (@utahjazz) August 16, 2020

The Nuggets, on the other hand, weren’t really interested in the Orlando bubble playoff overture as they lost five of eight games, and they are entering the postseason with three consecutive defeats.

However, they are going to be far more serious now when the playoffs begin. Denver is 5-5 ATS in the previous ten, 2-2 ATS as a favorite, and 8-2 O/U in that span.

24 hours. #MileHighBasketball pic.twitter.com/FMC6ofTKUO

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) August 16, 2020

Mike Conley (knee) and Rudy Gobert (back) are both probable to face the Nuggets, while Ed Davis and Emmanuel Mudiay are questionable with knee injuries.

Mike Malone is hoping to include Gary Harris (hip) and Will Barton (knee) after the duo missed several previous games, but the coach will likely take a cautious approach with them and might keep them out of this duel.

With Rudy Gobert and Mike Conley back to the starting lineup, it’s not going to be easy for the Nuggets to penetrate through one of the best defenses in the NBA. Still, Denver has a lot of potential on offense, and with Nikola Jokic and red-hot Michael Porter Jr., it seems they can unlock any defense.

I wouldn’t recommend betting on the total because 215.5 is a tricky line, but given the recent H2H record, I am going with the Nuggets to get a win here.