The Denver Nuggets begin their final two games of the regular season when they take on the Utah Jazz on Tuesday. Denver’s playoff seed hasn’t been decided yet, as the Houston Rockets are just one-half game behind the Nuggets for the second spot in the Western Conference. The Nuggets can’t finish below the third seed in the conference and will have homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
The Jazz (49-31) are one of the hottest teams in the league, having won eight of their past 10 games. Utah owns the league’s second-ranked defense this season, but have been even better since the All-Star break, where they own the best defense in the league over that stretch. Utah has posted the fourth-best offense in the league during that period and the second-best net rating in the league since the break, making the Jazz a very formidable team heading into the postseason.
Utah has won two of the first three matchups in the season series as Denver will be looking for a split tonight. Overall, Denver is 5-10 against Utah since Michael Malone took over as head coach.
Here are some keys to tonight’s game:
Relying on ball movement: The Nuggets have faced their fair share of struggles on the offensive end since the All-Star break. Although Denver owns the seventh-best offense over the course of the season, the Nuggets have ranked just 20th on that end of the floor since the break. The most concerning aspect of their offensive struggles is that the Nuggets rank just 20th in the league in assists per game during that stretch. Ball movement fuels Denver’s offense, making it a priority that the team focuses on finding the open shooter before the playoffs begin.
Contain Donovan Mitchell: In Utah’s two victories over Denver this season, Mitchell has averaged 29.5 points per game. Mitchell is the driving force of Utah’s offense, and with supporting players such as Derrick Favors, Kyle Korver and Ricky Rubio all likely out tonight, the Nuggets must focus on contesting all of Mitchell’s shots and getting the ball out of his hands.
Gary Harris and Will Barton Finding Consistency: In Denver’s close loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, Gary Harris had a strong, breakout performance with 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting to go along with two steals. However, Harris and Barton have faced some struggles in recent weeks, as both have averaged less than 10 points per game over the last 10 contests. For Denver to have sustained playoff success, the two starters will play an instrumental role in providing stellar play on both ends of the floor.
The game will tip at 7 p.m. MT and will air on Altitude TV and the AltitudeNOW app. Fans can listen on Altitude Radio, 92.5 FM.