Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Game Day Preview: Utah Jazz

(Boulder-CO) I happened to have a couple of very close friends that are huge Utah Jazz fans. So, when it is time for the Nuggets to square-off with the Jazz. There are more than just wins and losses at stake. For I will have to either defend myself from the bombardment of pro-Jazz rhetoric, or I will have the luxury of being able to talk trash until these division rivals meet again. Obviously, for those involved, (and you know who you are), there is a lot at stake tonight regardless of whether or not it is preseason.

The Nuggets are coming off a win against the Pistons in dominating fashion. Contrarily, the Jazz resemble an abused animal after being beaten in their last two outings. Be that as it may, the Jazz are still a dangerous 2-4 team. The one surprise that I have found is that Andrei Kirilenko has not been the force on the boards that I thought he would be. In his last two games, AK-47 has only grabbed two rebounds in each of the last two losses for the Jazz. And seeing how the Nuggets boast one of the most dominating front courts in the entire NBA, I doubt AK-47 is going to be breaking out against the Nuggets in this category.

The one hot spot for the Jazz has been Deron Williams. The Jazz point guard has been playing great in his last two games and has been the team’s high scorer in each of their last couple of outings. On Monday, Williams lit up Portland for 24 points and seven assists. Just a game before that he scorched Sacramento for 19 points and nine assists. If the Nuggets can find a way to slow down Deron Williams, and I’m looking in the direction of Yakhouba Diawara, I feel that the Nuggets are in great shape to send the Jazz home contemplating why they have lost three straight.

So indirectly, there is my pick. I’ve got the Nuggets by four tonight against the Utah Jazz. All the usual suspects should see game action tonight for the Nuggets, with the exception of Marcus Camby, and with the home court advantage. I am feeling pretty confident that Denver walks away with the win. Not to mention my sanity depends on it!

1 comment:

Nugg Doctor said...

btalk,

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