The Utah Jazz are playing all the right notes at the moment. They are one of the hottest teams in the NBA with five wins in a row, a run that has seen them jump up to third in the Western Conference.
The Jazz will now put their winning streak on the line as they take on rising star Zion Williamson and the plucky New Orleans Pelicans.
Meanwhile, the struggling Denver Nuggets will be eager to get back to .500 when they face the surprising Oklahoma City Thunder, who are still playing well despite trading away star point guard Chris Paul in the offseason.
SBOTOP takes a closer look at both of those Western Conference matchups, which are the only two games on the NBA schedule.
Oklahoma City Thunder @ Denver Nuggets
The Oklahoma City Thunder are not ready to tank just yet. Many expected the team to be one of the worst teams in the league after the departures of Chris Paul and Danilo Gallinari in the offseason. But instead, the Thunder have made an impressive 6-6 start to the season.
OKC will be playing their first game since Jan. 16 as their matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers was postponed due to COVID-19 protocols.
The Thunder recently snapped a two-game losing streak by squeaking out a narrow 127-125 overtime win over the Chicago Bulls. It was also their first win at home after losing their first five games.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander starred as he scored a career-high 33 points on 13-of-19 shooting with 10 assists to lead the Thunder.
Gilgeous-Alexander has adjusted well to his new role as the focal point of the Thunder offence. The 22-year-old point guard is averaging 21.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 6.2 assists while shooting 51 per cent from the field.
However, the Thunder have been without veteran centre Al Horford for the last three games due to personal reasons, and there is no timetable for his return.
Horford’s absence will be a huge blow to the Thunder’s chances of containing the Nuggets’ superstar, Nikola Jokic. The Serbian big man has been creating NBA 2021 highlights all year long and is averaging 25.0 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 10.3 assists.
Nikola Jokic attempts a jumpshot over the Brooklyn Nets defence
But despite Jokic’s all-around brilliance, the Nuggets are a mere 6-7 on the season. That’s quite disappointing considering the NBA 2021 odds had them as potential title dark horses after they reached the Western Conference finals in the bubble.
Jamal Murray’s inconsistency, Michael Porter Jr.’s prolonged absence, and poor defence have been among the major issues for Denver this season.
After averaging just 15.7 points on 43 per cent shooting over his last six games, Murray had 30 points in a losing effort against the Jazz last time out. If the Nuggets similar production against the Thunder, they should be in decent shape to get back to winning ways.
Betting Tip: Oklahoma City Thunder Asian Handicap +10.00 @ 1.85
New Orleans Pelicans @ Utah Jazz
The Jazz are suddenly up to third in the Western Conference, just behind the two Los Angeles teams. Utah have risen up the standings on the strength of a five-game winning streak, which began with an impressive 13-point victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.
Unsurprisingly, Utah’s winning run has been sparked by Donovan Mitchell and Bojan Bogdanovic putting up more consistent performances after their slow starts to the season.
Prior to his off night against the Nuggets, Mitchell had been averaging 28 points on 52 per cent shooting over his last four games. Meanwhile, Bogdanovic has scored 17 or more points in four of his last five. Sixth man Jordan Clarkson has also been putting up nearly 21 points off the bench during their recent winning streak.
The Jazz will put that streak on the line when they take on the Pelicans, who snapped their five-game losing skid by beating the Sacramento Kings, 128-123. They are now 5-7 on the season, which is 12th in the West.
Zion Williamson starred with 31 points on 13-of-15 shooting while Brandon Ingram and Eric Bledsoe had 22 and 21 points, respectively. Williamson has picked up his consistency of late and is averaging 25 points through the first six games of the year.
The Pelicans are expected to get a boost with the potential return of starting guard Lonzo Ball, who has missed the last three games due to soreness in both knees. Nickeil Alexander-Walker has filled in nicely for Ball in the starting line-up; he erupted for career-highs of 37 points and 8 rebounds in his first start, which was a loss against the Clippers.
Betting Tip: Utah Jazz Asian Handicap -5.50 @ 1.87
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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The post NBA: Zion Set for Showdown with Streaking Jazz appeared first on SBOTOP.