With the postseason officially starting soon we are going to be diving into one of the most intriguing matchups in the first round. The Denver Nuggets going up against the Utah Jazz. The Nuggets essentially have home court advantage but being in Orlando, there will be no fans, so home court advantage doesn’t have as big of an effect. Which of these teams will be able to come out of the gate and steal the first game?

NBA Playoff Odds

The Jazz are an underdog in Monday’s meeting but are just 7-10 straight up in that role this season. The good news is they are 10-7 against the spread (ATS) in that spot. They were 40-23 on the year against bad defensive teams that allow 106+ points per game.

Meanwhile, Denver is just 22-24 ATS as a favorite this season but is 37-14 straight up in those contests. All eight of their neutral site games have gone over and the over is also 11-6 in their last 17 against teams with a winning record.

Utah Jazz

The Jazz have been fluctuating up and down so far since the NBA season has resumed. They finished their eight regular season games with a 3-5 record with wins coming against the Memphis Grizzlies, San Antonio Spurs and the New Orleans Pelicans. However, they have been resting some of their starters due to minor injuries and should have their key players back when this series begins.

Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell have all missed time during this eight-game stretch. But that shouldn’t affect this team that heavily going into this matchup against the Nuggets. The Jazz are going to need Mike Conley’s leadership and scoring if they want to get out and steal Game 1 in this series. Conley has averaged 18.0 points per game and that includes a nine-point effort in his last game when he played just 16 minutes. Conley wasn’t a difference-maker for this team prior to the break (just 14.4 points per game), so if he is approaching All-Star status again, he gives this team a Big Three with Gobert and Mitchell that makes them dangerous.

Denver Nuggets

The Nuggets enter the playoffs on a down slope as they lost four of their final five games. With Nikola Jokic, Paul Millsap, Gary Harris, Will Barton and Jamal Murray all missing games, it’s hard to guess just how good this team really is. Were they bad or could they simply not get on the same page? One thing that’s for sure is their defense has been awful. They’re allowing an incredible 124.7 points per game and if that continues in the playoffs, it’ll be a really short run for this team.

One positive for the Nuggets is that while starters were out, it allowed some of their young guys to develop. Michael Porter Jr. has been outstanding during his time in Orlando and was a huge reason that the Nuggets were still winning games with all of those injuries. He averaged 22.0 points per game in the bubble and if he can carve out some minutes on this very deep Nuggets squad, it will make them even more dangerous. Other guys like Bol Bol and P.J. Dozier were also playing very well and could be getting themselves a bigger role as well in the future.

Who Will Win Jazz vs. Nuggets?

Injuries

Utah

Justin Wright-Foreman (PG)

Out indefinitely Personal - 16 / 08 / 20

Ed Davis (C)

Out indefinitely Knee - 13 / 08 / 20

Mike Conley (PG)

Prob Fri Personal - 12 / 08 / 20

Emmanuel Mudiay (PG)

Prob Mon Knee - 12 / 08 / 20

Emmanuel Mudiay (PG)

Ques Mon Knee - 08 / 08 / 20

Juwan Morgan (PF)

Prob Thurs Knee - 07 / 08 / 20

Mike Conley (PG)

Prob Sat Knee - 06 / 08 / 20

Joe Ingles (SF)

Prob Fri Foot - 06 / 08 / 20

Royce O'Neale (SF)

Prob Sat Calf - 06 / 08 / 20

Royce O'Neale (SF)

Prob Mon Foot - 03 / 08 / 20

Denver

Jamal Murray (SG)

Prob Sat Knee - 26 / 09 / 20

Jamal Murray (SG)

Ques Tues Hip - 13 / 09 / 20

Torrey Craig (SF)

Prob Fri Knee - 11 / 09 / 20

Jamal Murray (SG)

Prob Thurs Quadricep - 02 / 09 / 20

Michael Porter Jr. (PF)

Out Fri Rest - 14 / 08 / 20

Jerami Grant (SF)

Prob Wed Knee - 10 / 08 / 20

Paul Millsap (PF)

Out Thurs Rest - 06 / 08 / 20

Troy Daniels (SG)

Ques Wed Hip - 06 / 08 / 20

Torrey Craig (SF)

Ques Thurs Mouth - 05 / 08 / 20

Vlatko Cancar (SF)

Out indefinitely Foot - 31 / 07 / 20

Injuries

Utah

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Justin Wright-Foreman (PG)	Out indefinitely	Personal - 16 / 08 / 20	3-4	5-2	+ -
Wright-Foreman will miss an extended period after leaving the NBA bubble for a personal reason.
Ed Davis (C)	Out indefinitely	Knee - 13 / 08 / 20	3-5	6-2	+ -
Davis suffered an MLC injury in his left knee, and there is no timetable for return.
Mike Conley (PG)	Prob Fri	Personal - 12 / 08 / 20	3-5	6-2	+ -
Conley has returned to the NBA bubble after attending the birth of his son, but he is expected to draw back into the lineup for Game 3 of the Western Conference first round against the Nuggets.
Emmanuel Mudiay (PG)	Prob Mon	Knee - 12 / 08 / 20	3-5	6-2	+ -
Mudiay is nursing soreness in his left knee, but he is projected to play in Game 1 of the Western Conference first round against the Nuggets.
Emmanuel Mudiay (PG)	Ques Mon	Knee - 08 / 08 / 20	4-6	8-2	+ -
Mudiay sat out the previous game due to soreness in his left knee, and it is unclear if he will take the court for Monday's contest versus the Mavericks.
Juwan Morgan (PF)	Prob Thurs	Knee - 07 / 08 / 20	5-6	9-2	+ -
Morgan is out of action with a sore right knee, but he is likely to return Thursday against the Spurs.
Mike Conley (PG)	Prob Sat	Knee - 06 / 08 / 20	5-6	9-2	+ -
Conley missed the last game with a sore right knee, but it is anticipated that it will not prevent him from playing Saturday against the Nuggets.
Joe Ingles (SF)	Prob Fri	Foot - 06 / 08 / 20	5-6	9-2	+ -
Ingles is projected to be available against the Spurs on Friday despite a sore right foot.
Royce O'Neale (SF)	Prob Sat	Calf - 06 / 08 / 20	5-6	9-2	+ -
O'Neale missed the previous contest due to right calf soreness, but it is likely that he will face the Nuggets on Saturday.
Royce O'Neale (SF)	Prob Mon	Foot - 03 / 08 / 20	5-8	10-3	+ -
O'Neale is battling a sore right foot, but he is likely to take the court against the Lakers on Monday.

Denver

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Jamal Murray (SG)	Prob Sat	Knee - 26 / 09 / 20	0-0	1-0	+ -
Murray is expected to be active for Game 5 of the Western Conference finals against the Lakers despite a right knee contusion.
Jamal Murray (SG)	Ques Tues	Hip - 13 / 09 / 20	5-1	3-3-1	+ -
Murray has a right hip injury, and his status is in question for Game 7 of the Western Conference second round against the Clippers.
Torrey Craig (SF)	Prob Fri	Knee - 11 / 09 / 20	5-2	3-4-1	+ -
Craig is managing a sore right knee, but likely to be available for Game 5 of the Western Conference second round against the Clippers.
Jamal Murray (SG)	Prob Thurs	Quadricep - 02 / 09 / 20	8-3	4-7-2	+ -
Murray is expected to play in Game 1 of the Western Conference second round against the Clippers despite a quad contusion.
Michael Porter Jr. (PF)	Out Fri	Rest - 14 / 08 / 20	11-7	10-8-2	+ -
Porter Jr. is not expected to suit up Friday against the Raptors as he likely will be given the day to rest.
Jerami Grant (SF)	Prob Wed	Knee - 10 / 08 / 20	13-7	12-8-2	+ -
Grant missed the last game battling a sore right knee, but he is likely to be available for Wednesday's clash with the Clippers.
Paul Millsap (PF)	Out Thurs	Rest - 06 / 08 / 20	14-8	14-8-2	+ -
Millsap will not suit up Thursday against the Trail Blazers as he likely will be given the day to rest.
Troy Daniels (SG)	Ques Wed	Hip - 06 / 08 / 20	14-8	14-8-2	+ -
Daniels has been out of the lineup in the previous three games due to tightness in his right hip. It remains to be seen if he will take the court Wednesday versus the Clippers.
Torrey Craig (SF)	Ques Thurs	Mouth - 05 / 08 / 20	15-8	15-8-2	+ -
Craig left the last game with a lip laceration, and it is up in the air if he will play in Thursday's contest with the Trail Blazers.
Vlatko Cancar (SF)	Out indefinitely	Foot - 31 / 07 / 20	15-9	16-8-2	+ -
Cancar is sidelined while recovering from a broken left foot, and it is uncertain when he will join the team.