Published on: Oct 19, 2022 8:47 pm IST|Updated on: Oct 19, 2022 8:47 pm IST
UTA vs DEN Dream11: The NBA season is on and for a brief period, we are going to see a bunch of teams with a healthy squad and fielding their major players. When the scene will shift to November, the injuries will pile up for sure as the rigorous schedule will take its toll. At any rate, with one day of the NBA action behind us, the curtains will lift on the Utah Jazz’s season when they will take on Denver Nuggets during the season opener.
The Utah Jazz which had the top record a couple of seasons ago has been broken up. No Donovan, no Rudy Gobert, no Bojan Bogdanovic! The team is in its rebuild mode and although they did acquire guard talent Colin Sexton and stretch-four Lauri Markkanen. How will they respond to the challenge with a weakened roster?
Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets are in their title mood window. They have one of the best players in Nikola Jokic, who was overburdened last season. The return of Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. helps both ends of the floor but will it be enough in the loaded West? Host: Utah Jazz Visitors: Denver Nuggets Match Timing: 20 October, @ 06:30 AM Venue: Vivint Smart Home Arena
Jazz: New beginnings For the Jazz, the guard trio of Conley, Sexton, and Clarkson has a lot of promise. Conley is an elite perimeter defender, Sexton is a great driver to the rim and Clarkson is a sharpshooter. These three can be effective on the offensive end as a combination. Meanwhile, Lauri Markkanen can help them by his spot-up shooting whereas Kelly Olynyk can be an effective middle player. Malik Beasley can knock down the long ball whereas Talen Horton-Tucker can bring defensive smarts off the bench.
It will be interesting to see how the star-starved Jazz team performs here because it isn’t like that they lack experience as such. They have a bunch of NBA veterans but what they lack on paper is a dependable defense and strong rebounders that can stave off big-time NBA units. The Jazz at best look like a sub-40 win team and at worst, they look like an 11-13 ranked squad in the West. Let us see how the Utah squad responds here!
Nuggets: Loaded but a tall task ahead
The Nuggets were a borderline Playoff team last season and with Jokic again playing like an MVP, they notched wins after wins on a decent clip. But they were vulnerable against elite teams and just didn’t have the rotations that can put up a big fight against the NBA cream. Let us see how they will build up with the return of Jamal Murray. Murray helps on the offensive end and Jokic will finally have a 20+ PPG scorer and someone who can take the load off him whereas Michal Porter Jr. is an electric defender, an end that was vulnerable for the Nuggets last season.
Aaron Gordon can fill the lanes well while Bruce Brown was a great signing as he can be a Sixth Player and an injury cover who was effective on both ends last season. Young Bones Hyland has shown promise as a shot-creator and playmaker. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope boosts the defense and Jeff Green and Ish Smith give veteran experience off the bench. The Nuggets’ defense looks boosted but the trouble is that the West is loaded with the squads like Warriors, Suns, Grizzlies, Mavs, etc. and the growth of the Timberwolves is also a big one. How about the Pelicans? Can the Nuggets earn a top-four seat at least in the West? Denver Nuggets | Utah Jazz Games: 00 | 00 Wins: 00 | 00 Defeats: 00 | 00
Utah Jazz Team News
Jazz Expected Starting Five Frontline: PF: Lauri Markkanen | PF: Kelly Olynyk | PF: Jarred Vanderbilt Guards: SG: Collin Sexton | PG: Mike Conley
BENCH: Jordan Clarkson, Rudy Gay, Johnny Juzang, Simone Fontecchio, Ochai Agbaji, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Talen Horton-Tucker, Micah Potter, Leandro Bolmaro, Walker Kessler.
Denver Nuggets Team News
Nuggets Expected Starting Five Forwards: SF: Michael Porter Jr. | PF: Aaron Gordon Middle: C: Nikola Jokic Guards: PG: Jamal Murray | SG: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
BENCH: Jeff Green, Zeke Nnaji, Jack White, Bones Hyland, Bruce Brown, Deandre Jordan, Peyton Watson, Bruce Brown, Vlatko Cancer, Ish Smith, Davon Reed.
Nikola Jokic(DEN) Jokic led the Nuggets pretty much in all the major areas last season but he has a lot more help this season, which means he will only be a bigger headache for the opposition. I expect a 21-27 points, 10+ rebounds, and 7-11 assists range here. Jokic can be chosen as a Star/Pro Player in the Dream 11 NBA Fantasy scenario.
Mike Conley(UTA) Conley has been in a great defensive knack all his career long and will play a huge role this season as a scorer and playmaker. I believe he will be in 14-21 points, 6-10 assists, and 1-2 steals range.
Jamal Murray(DEN) Jamal is a superb offensive option who can score in numerous ways and can help the load off Nikola Jokic in big ways. I believe he will be in 22-30 points range here.
Jordan Clarkson(UTA) Clarkson can be up for a 20 Points+ Per Game average season here and his dynamic shooting is accompanied by a handy driving game. I expect him to be in 19-25 points range here.
Lauri Markkanen(UTA) Markkanen can shoot the lights out from deep while giving much-needed rebounding chops to the Jazz. I expect him to be in 14-21 points and 5-8 rebounds range here.
Michael Porter Jr(DEN) Michael is a great defender who can both guard perimeter shooters and can also match-up to strong Forwards. He has a strong rebounding touch too and I believe he will be in 13-19 points, 6-9 rebounds, and 1-3 block range.
Collin Sexton(UTA) Sexton is difficult to guard mostly because of his ability to create offense and especially uses his driving skills well aided by his athletic frame. I expect him to be in 15-22 points range here
UTA vs DEN Dream11 Team
PG: I Smith, J Clarkson, M Conley(PP) SG: C Sexton SF: M Beasley, M Porter-Jr PF: B Brown C: N Jokic(SP)
How will it be when Jamal Murray returns to the Regular season after a long time and how will the new Jazz respond to the ever-present threat of Nikola Jokic? This fun game can be watched live on the NBA League Pass. Scores, news, and stats that can be found on the official website of the NBA. The highlights of the game will be available on the official YouTube channel of the NBA.