Nuggets have eyes on a three-game win streak against Jazz

Regular Season Game No. 15 | Denver Nuggets (6-8) @ Utah Jazz (7-8)

Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah | 7:00 PM MST | TV: Altitude

After losing the second game of a back-to-back in Denver on Sunday, the Jazz will look to return the favor on their home floor as they host the Nuggets who are coming off a late-night thriller against the Chicago Bulls. Utah will come out playing with urgency as the playoff-hopeful squad looks to put a stop to their four-game losing streak.

Here’s what to watch for:

A future star shines bright

After erupting for 12 points in the last 30 seconds against the Trailblazers last week, Murray has kindled that confidence into scorching shooting as he comes off a career-high 24 points on 9-13 shooting against the Bulls Tuesday. Although unlikely, Malone might give him a chance to start after impressing enough to garner crunch-time minutes against Chicago. Once again the Nuggets find themselves with a rookie talented enough to force his way onto the court. Kudos to Tim Connelly and the Denver front office.

Murray has the innate ability that the Nuggets are craving for: A knack to get buckets. Murray is a natural scorer, shooting 47 percent from three after his ironic 0-17 career start at just 19 years of age. The sky is the limit for Murray as a scorer, as he also shows the ability to get to the rim and finish when defenders play tight while also shooting a blistering 50 percent from three when spotting up. Rookies typically struggle from three their first year as they acclimate to both the league and distance, so the early success the 19-year-old has found is extremely encouraging.

Look for Murray to continue his success against a Utah team he lit up for 18 points just a few days ago.

Battle of the Beasts

Barreling his way to 16 points on 5-6 shooting to go along with 11 rebounds in the last meeting with the Jazz, Jusuf Nurkic faces Rudy Gobert again.

After being held to a game-worst -22 plus-minus last meeting, Gobert will look to come out strong as the Jazz have been resting since Sunday. Just as Nurkic overpowers him with strength, Gobert has the athleticism and length to bother Nurkic and anyone else who dares to drive into the paint. The Nuggets will need good perimeter shooting if they want to defeat a tough Jazz team nearing full strength.

Quietly, Nikola Jokic is taking steps to get back to the level he was playing at last season. In his last four games, Jokic is averaging 9.5 points 6.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists on 60.0 percent shooting from the field, close to his averages during his rookie year. As the Nuggets continue to unlock their premier lineups with Jokic at center surrounded by Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari expect Jokic to flourish as he becomes more aggressive and confident by the game.

Footnotes

Gallinari (right thigh soreness) is unavailable for the Nuggets tonight. Expect Chandler to start in his place.