Nuggets stats, analysis, predictions, previews. NBA Picks and Predictions. When the year began there was a disconnect and head coach Mike Malone saw five individuals on the court.

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Two of the NBA’s hottest teams will collide Sunday afternoon. Utah and Denver have blazed their own trails with their recent play and neither club has forgotten about last year’s playoff matchup.

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Utah Jazz vs. Denver Nuggets

Sunday, January 31, 2021 – 03:30 PM EST at Ball Arena

These Northwest Division are not only two of the hottest teams in The Association, they are intersecting at a unique point. Utah is on a monumental 11-0 SU and ATS run and closed their six-game homestand 6-0 SU & ATS. The Jazz will play four of their next five contests on the road starting today.

Denver returns home after four wins and four spread covers out of five games away from snowy Colorado and they are riding a 5-1 SU and ATS stretch of their own. The Nuggets will be home six of their next eight confrontations beginning this afternoon.

With no football this Sunday, this would have been a great game to have somewhere other then NBA-TV. Regardless, that’s where it can be viewed and betting websites like BetOnline will have NBA lines early Sunday morning on this matchup and we’ll explain why further ahead in this article.

Denver Playing Their Brand of Ball

The Nuggets (11-8, 9-10 ATS) sluggish start is all but forgotten after their 1-4 beginning of the season. Two aspects have changed since play began for the Nuggets. The most obvious is they started working harder to run down rebounds, which includes squaring off the opposing player in their area. (Hardly anyone blocks out anymore.) Denver has moved up to 9^th Average Rebound and 3^rd in Rebound Rate.

This has meant fewer possessions and put backs for opposing teams while generating more offensive chances when working and hustling for offensive boards. The other meaningful factor is the team has come together on the floor. When the year began there was a disconnect and head coach Mike Malone saw five individuals on the court playing in their own world, not as a group.

Once Malone’s crew started winning and realized what it took, with him verbally pushing that narrative, Denver players began playing for each other. One person Malone didn’t have to worry about was Nikola Jokic, who is one assist short of averaging a triple-double year to date. When the offense runs through Jokic, it runs smoother and that frees up others to play to their strengths, which helps them score and has a carryover on defense.

Utah is the Full Package

This brilliant period of Jazz basketball has pointed to just how good this team might be. Utah (15-4, 14-5 ATS) has seen players miss time with a nagging injury or two and that included leading scorer Donovan Mitchell and Derrick Favors.

When guys are missing, others take it upon themselves to step up, not selfishly, but within the team concept. Thus, Jazz fans or those making NBA picks have not had an issue backing Utah, believing Rudy Gobert, Jordan Clarkson, or Joe Ingles will do what is necessary for their team to win.

'We want to be unselfish, help each other on both ends of the floor,' Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. 'I think we're covering for each other, our communication defensively. The game can be simple if you let it be.' Synder’s club has the best record in the NBA and the numbers bear that out.

Utah enters this clash first in point differential. On offense, they are in the Top 10 in scoring, offensive efficiency, and three-point accuracy (2^nd). On the other end of the floor, Gobert and company are in the Top 6 in points allowed, field goal percentage defense, 3-point defense, and defensive efficiency. This team can do it all.

The Point Spread Winner

It is clear Utah still feels the sting of giving away a 3-1 lead in last season’s Western Conference playoffs to Denver. The Jazz earned some satisfaction from that disappointment, winning 109-105 as 1.5-point home favorites two weeks ago.

The oddsmakers at sportsbooks have to take into consideration the Jazz is 7-2 (6-3 ATS) on the road while Denver has the exact set of figures playing at altitude. What they also have to know is if Donovan and Favors are going to play (both are questionable), this pair did not Friday.

Our anticipated power ratings have Denver by one if Donovan and Favors play and the Nuggets would be a bigger favorite, especially without Mitchell, otherwise. Our inclination that a change in venues will help Denver and work against Utah and we will grab the Nuggets at home.

NBA Picks: Nuggets -1 (-110) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)

Nba Season Predictions

*The pick reflects the line at the moment the writer made the play, the odds at the beginning of this article show the live line movement. Since the lines might vary, don’t forget to refer back to our live odds.

The 2020-21 NBA season officially tipped off this week with each team hitting the court to much fanfare following a historic, shortened training camp period.

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With a new season upon us, there is a new opportunity for teams and players to leave their mark in the league. Organizations made plenty of changes during the offseason in preparation for what projects to be a challenging season ahead.

The incoming class of rookies look to make the most of a difficult transition to the NBA given the circumstances. The players have put forth some strong performances thus far during the preseason and look to continue that momentum into the regular season.

Rookie Wire decided to put on our thinking caps and predict the future. We made 10 bold predictions for the upcoming season for the rookie class and offer an opinion on what we might see. To make this exercise fun, we will come back at the end of the season and see how we did.

Here is how we fared last season. We didn’t do particularly well.

1 Killian Hayes will start every game for the Pistons

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Hayes started every game for the Pistons during their preseason run, and he should continue that into the regular season. Pistons head coach Dwane Casey said Hayes will have the opportunity to play through his mistakes as that is all part of the learning experience for him. The team opted to keep veteran Derrick Rose coming off the bench, a role he is perfectly fine with. The players on the Pistons know the development of Hayes is integral for the future and this will serve as a year of learning for the 19-year-old.

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2 Aleksej Pokusevski will set the NBA rookie record for 3-pointers

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Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell holds the rookie record for most 3-pointers in a season with 187. Mitchell shot 34% (187-of-550) from beyond the arc as a rookie and played 33.4 minutes per game in the 2017-18 season. Pokusevski figures to have the chance to play heavy minutes this year with the Thunder, and based on how the preseason went, he may have a real shot at breaking Mitchell’s record. Pokusevski finished second among all rookies with seven made 3-pointers during the preseason, giving him 2.3 makes per game. Given the shortened 72-game schedule this season, he may have a tougher chance at setting the record, but he is likely one of the best rookie candidates to do so.

3 Obi Toppin will record at least 10 double-doubles

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Toppin registered eight double-doubles last season at Dayton and figures to have a chance to keep that going this year. He will likely average around 20-25 minutes per game with the Knicks this season, giving him ample time on the court to score and haul in rebounds. He posted averages of 7.3 points and six rebounds in the preseason and will only improve as his rookie season progresses.

4 Anthony Edwards will become a full-time starter by the end of the season

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The No. 1 overall pick started his preseason with the Timberwolves off the bench, averaging 11.3 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. Edwards admitted during the preseason he needed a little more time to knock off the rust, but he knew he would be ready by the start of the season. The organization knows his development will be paramount this season, and, given his ability, he will eventually find himself in the starting lineup.

5 Precious Achiuwa will lead the class in rebounding

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Achiuwa averaged 8.5 rebounds with the Heat during the preseason, and the 20th overall pick will keep that momentum this season. He has often been compared to teammate Bam Adebayo given his skills, and Adebayo believes Achiuwa is more advanced at this stage of his career than he was. He is often a monster on the glass while he is on the court, and this season will prove no different.

6 Tyrese Haliburton will finish in the top 25 among all players in steals

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Haliburton possesses the 3-and-D potential many teams covet and that is likely a huge reason he was voted the biggest steal in the draft in the annual NBA GM Survey. The 12th overall pick has been praised for his maturity and overall IQ for the game and that should translate this season on both ends of the floor. Sacramento is certainly high on him, and he should enjoy a strong rookie campaign, and, hopefully, help us nail this prediction.

7 Spurs' Devin Vassell will place on the All-Rookie First Team

(Photo by Reginald Thomas II/San Antonio Spurs)

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Vassell appears to have the opportunity to log heavy minutes this season, which will help his chances of putting up numbers. He finished fourth among all rookies in scoring during the preseason while he led the class in steals. The 11th overall pick projects to play a large role with the Spurs and could emerge as one of the top rookies, as a result. The All-Rookie Teams appear to be wide open this season, and Vassell should find himself ranked among them.

8 James Wiseman will lead the rookie class in scoring

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Wiseman missed the start of training camp and did not play during the preseason. Despite that, he still figures to see a large role with the Warriors this season and that will enable him to have the green light on offense. He has been highly touted for his scoring ability as he can work in the post, run the floor and space the floor and shoot 3-pointers. Wiseman has the ability and the role this season to flourish, and he very well may end up as the rookie scoring leader.

9 LaMelo Ball will record at least one triple-double and lead all rookies in assists

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The court vision and rebounding ability by Ball figures to be on display throughout the season with the Charlotte Hornets and that will ultimately enable him to fill the box score. Ball averaged 8.5 points, five rebounds and 3.8 assists in four preseason games with the Hornets and was aggressive in pushing the pace, often finding teammates immediately down the court for the assist. He tied with Cole Anthony for the most assists among all rookies during the preseason with 15. Those two factors have us confident Ball will tally at least one triple-double this season while leading the rookie class in assists.

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10 Cole Anthony will be named the 2020-21 NBA Rookie of the Year

(AP Photo/John Raoux)

Anthony emerged as perhaps one of the top rookies throughout the preseason. He bounced back from what he deemed a terrible performance and finished as the leading rookie scorer after producing 55 points in four games. The 15th overall pick will have the opportunity to play plenty of minutes this season with the Magic, and he figures to be a key rotational player behind Markelle Fultz off the bench. Anthony enters the season outside of the top 10 in odds to win the Rookie of the Year but, hey, we did say these would be bold predictions.