How the Denver Nuggets stack up against the Utah Jazz

The Rundown

The Denver Nuggets will look to put a bow on an impressive preseason with a victory over their Northwest Division rival Utah Jazz. The Nuggets have compiled a 4-2 record against a challenging slate of opponents getting only one game in the friendly confines of Pepsi Center. More importantly, a number of youngsters on the roster have looked like they belong in the NBA, competing against the likes of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Steph Curry, Russ Westbrook and Kevin Durant. Despite being exposed a bit by Oklahoma City’s imposing front line in a 111-98 loss on Oct. 18th, Joffrey Lauvergne and Nikola Jokic can bounce back against Utah’s equally as imposing, but much less experienced post duo of Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert. Also, look for Emmanuel Mudiay and Gary Harris to continue to improve their shooting and overall play, as they have throughout the preseason.

When

Thursday, Oct. 22 at 7:00 p.m. MST

Where

EnergySolutions Arena – Salt Lake City, UT

TV: None / Radio: 104.3FM

The Other Guys

Like the Nuggets, the Jazz enter the game fresh off of a drubbing by the Thunder, though, unlike the Nuggets, their 2-4 preseason record has left a lot to be desired. Utah has suffered four straight losses after opening the preseason with back-to-back wins over the Lakers. Each of the Jazz starters have had their moments, but they have yet to put it all together in a game; so let’s hope the Nuggets help that trend continue with their renewed aggressiveness and movement on defense under head coach Michael Malone’s direction.

Matchups to Watch

It was painful to watch Gobert blossom with increased minutes last season after the Nuggets traded his draft rights in 2013 for cash and the right to pick Erick Green in the second round, but King Joffrey Lauvergne (also taken in the second round of the 2013 draft) can help Nuggets fans to move on if he’s able to navigate the paint against Gobert’s stifling defense. Lauvergne, along with Kenneth Faried and Jokic will have their hands full defending the talented Favors down low.

The Jazz also boast a number of wing players who aren’t afraid of firing away from deep or driving to the hoop, including former Colorado Buffalo Alec Burks, Gordon Hayward, Trey Burke and perhaps their most impressive player in the preseason, second-year wing Rodney Hood out of Duke. It will be interesting to see how Denver decides to defend the perimeter, but it helps that they are able to throw the likes of Mudiay, Harris and Will Barton out there defensively rather than hoping for the best with Ty Lawson and Randy Foye.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fq0InnprEak

Battle for the Final Spot

While conventional wisdom says that the final roster spot will come down to Erick Green and Nick Johnson, it’s hard to ignore the lack of playing time given to Nuggets’ vets Randy Foye and J.J. Hickson of late. Foye has been dealing with a nagging hamstring injury, but his 3-point shooting is as valuable as it’s ever been in the league, so it would be surprising to see him go. It will be interesting to see if Hickson sees the floor against the Jazz after registering the dreaded “DNP – Coach’s Decision” in the last couple games (Suns and Thunder). Hickson did nothing in his limited minutes early in the preseason to help his case and the improved play of Denver’s European bigs along with Danilo Gallinari seeing increased minutes at power forward means we could be seeing the last of Hickson in a Nuggets uniform.

Zeroing in on a Rotation

Injuries have made it difficult to get a read on Malone’s potential regular season rotation, but there’s a chance this final tune-up game will give us a glimpse of what to expect. Mudiay, Jameer Nelson, Barton, Harris, Chandler, Gallinari, Faried, Darrell Arthur, Joffrey and Jokic all deserve minutes based on their recent play and/or overall body of work, but therein lies the problem. Without even adding Jusuf Nurkic into the mix, the Nuggets are already looking at a 10-man rotation. Will Malone lean on a veteran like Arthur, or let Joffrey and Jokic find their NBA legs? Will Mudiay be able to limit his turnovers and shoulder enough of the load to keep Nelson on the bench? Only time will tell, but tonight’s preseason finale may give us a few clues as to the direction Malone intends to go.