The Denver Nuggets are back at it tonight for their final game of 2024.

It’s been an interesting year for the Nuggets, both a good and bad one. Nikola Jokic won another MVP award. The Nuggets tied their regular season high of 57 wins in April. Jamal Murray hit a shot. The 2023-24 season didn’t end the way Nuggets fans hoped, nor has the 2024-25 season started the way they hoped. And yet, the Nuggets have another chance to win a championship when 2025 begins.

With that in mind, let’s delve into the Utah Jazz matchup:

Denver Nuggets @ Utah Jazz

Projected Starting Lineups

Denver: Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Peyton Watson, Michael Porter Jr., Nikola Jokic

Utah: Collin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson, Cody Williams, Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler

Key Bench Players

Denver: Russell Westbrook, Julian Strawther, Hunter Tyson, DeAndre Jordan

Utah: Isaiah Collier, Brice Sensabaugh, Johnny Juzang, Micah Potter, Kyle Filipowski, Drew Eubanks

Notable Injuries

Denver: Aaron Gordon – OUT, Vlatko Cancar – OUT, DaRon Holmes II – OUT

Utah: John Collins – DOUBTFUL, Keyonte George – QUESTIONABLE, Taylor Hendricks – OUT

Key for the Nuggets – Get defense into the game earlier

The Nuggets have given up a tremendous amount of points in each of the first quarters they’ve played recently. They’ve given up 30, 29, 26, 38, 40, and 38 points in the last six games. When the Nuggets allow at least 30 points in the first quarter, they’re 7-11. When they hold teams to 29 points or fewer in the first frame, they’re 10-2.

The Nuggets have allowed 25 points or less in just four total first quarters this year. They’re 4-0 in those games and won three of them by double digits. There really is a trend line between when the Nuggets execute their schemes defensively in the first quarter and winning the game.

The Jazz are likely to start some scorers in this game, and it’s the first time Denver’s faced Lauri Markkanen so far this year. Can they win the first quarter with some defensive effort? We will find out.

Important Matchup – Lauri Markkanen vs Michael Porter Jr.

I actually think Michael Malone goes to Peyton Watson in the starting unit and deploys him on Markkanen, but there will be plenty of times when Markkanen and Porter match up on both sides. Markkanen is a tough cover for anyone, a sharpshooter from the perimeter and a dynamic scorer off the bounce if the defense overcommits. He’s scored 20+ in each of his last five games, and the Jazz will feed him over and over if he’s hot.

On the other side, Michael Porter Jr. continues to show his value to the Nuggets as a floor spacer and dynamic threat whenever he has the ball. Markkanen can contest his shots at the rim, but he may not be able to keep up with Porter on the perimeter. This is a game where I’d hope Nikola Jokic tries to force feed Porter some three-pointers a bit, because he could put up a crooked number.

Number of the Day – 3

That’s the number of games the Nuggets have won in Utah since the 2015-16 season. Three times out of 17 tries.

The Nuggets won their first matchup against the Utah Jazz earlier in the season, which was a massive surprise based on team history. The Nuggets are 3-14 in the Michael Malone and Nikola Jokic era in games in Salt Lake City. Even when the Jazz downtown happened following the 2021-22 season, the Nuggets still lost games they shouldn’t have lost.

I don’t know what it is, but the Nuggets must stay locked in for tonight.

Nugget who should have a good game: Jamal Murray

Murray’s been trending over the last few games. As mentioned in the recap of the Nuggets win over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday, he’s averaging 24.7 points and 6.3 assists per game in his last seven games, maintaining a 59.8 True Shooting % during that timeframe. He will match up with Collin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson, Isaiah Collier, Brice Sensabaugh, and maybe Keyonte George if he plays. There’s no reason why Murray can’t keep his strong play going.