The Utah Jazz have gone from contender to rebuilding in just four seasons, but there is hope for the young team trying to find its footing. The Denver Nuggets, on the other hand, won the title two seasons ago and are still in their championship window.
The two rivals meet for the third time this season when the Nuggets visit Salt Lake City on Monday night.
Utah, which has lost three straight and has just seven wins in 30 games, is one of the youngest teams in the NBA but has tried to put together pieces for the future. The Jazz are also trying to develop their core, and despite the poor record feel that there is reason for optimism.
Utah is coming off a three-point home loss to Philadelphia but won road games at Detroit and Brooklyn prior to its three-game skid. Coach Will Hardy is encouraged by his team’s recent play.
“The cohesion of the group on both sides of the ball has grown a lot in the last couple of weeks,” Hardy said after Saturday’s 114-111 loss to the 76ers. “I think the way that our team is communicating with each other has continued to grow. I think we’re playing some good basketball.”
The Jazz average 110.6 points per game, 21st in the NBA, and have six players averaging double digits in scoring, led by Lauri Markkanen at 19.7 points a night. John Collins (17.7), Collin Sexton (17.3) and Keyonte George (16.2) give Utah a balanced scoring attack, while oft-mentioned trade target Jordan Clarkson is scoring 15.3 ppg. Walker Kessler gives Utah 10.3 points and a team-high 10.9 rebounds per contest.
Denver has struggled with consistency this season, most notably on the defensive side of the ball. The Nuggets allowed a season-high 149 points to Cleveland in Friday’s loss and followed that up with the Pistons scoring 32 points in the fourth quarter to nearly erase a 25-point deficit.
The defense was solid through the first three quarters against Detroit on Saturday night but became leaky with the reserves trying to close out the 134-121 win.
That side of the ball is one reason why Denver is just four games above .500. Making matters worse, Aaron Gordon is expected to miss his third straight game with a right calf strain, the second time he has dealt with the injury, and Jamal Murray has been banged up most of the season.
But Murray, who scored 34 points in the win over Detroit (his first 30-point game of the season), sees good things from his team.
“I can see from the start of the season to now we haven’t been amazing. Everybody is starting to finally click, everybody is starting to be more comfortable,” he said. “I wouldn’t say it’s just me. For me, I’d love to make shots every night, man. I strive to make shots every night, but I can still impact the game if I’m not making shots.”
The Nuggets rely heavily on their starters for offense, beginning with Nikola Jokic, who leads the team in scoring (30.8), rebounding (12.5) and assists (9.5). Murray is second in scoring average at 19.8 ppg and Michael Porter Jr. is averaging 18.6 ppg.
Denver is 2-0 against Utah this season, winning 129-103 at home on Nov. 2 and 122-103 on the road on Nov. 27.