Utah Jazz: 2 keys to a primetime win against the Nuggets
By Jack Duggan
Utah Jazz Key to Victory #2: Controlling the pace
Last season, neither the Jazz nor Nuggets were particularly fast-paced teams. The Jazz ranked 16th in the category, and the Nuggets played at one of the slowest paces in the league, ranking 27th. The Jazz seem content with playing at a slower tempo again this season. The Nuggets, however, have jumped to the 11th fastest pace in the league after the first week of games.
The Nuggets are also scoring 17.5 fastbreak points per game, which is the third-highest in the NBA. Considering they are still without Jamal Murray, it isn’t too surprising that Denver is attempting to push the pace to start the year. Without a reliable scoring guard, a consistent half-court offense could be a problem for Denver this season. Nikola Jokic is also a master of the outlet pass, so it makes a lot sense for the Nuggets to play fast this year.
On the other side of the court, the Nuggets have defended the fast break far better than league average, only allowing 8.5 fast break PPG. Thus, it would seemingly benefit the Jazz to control the pace of the game tonight. By dictating the pace, the Jazz can attempt to take away some of the fastbreak points that the Nuggets have been able to generate so far this season.
The Jazz have been performing notably well on the defensive end of the ball. Maintaining that defensive prowess however will be difficult if the Nuggets push the pace and find one of their many shooters in transition.
On offense, savvy guards like Donavan Mitchell and Mike Conley can slow the game down and attack in the half-court. The Jazz have several capable ball handlers who can attack Denver’s shaky perimeter defenders, such as Austin Rivers and Monte Morris. This could lead to better shot opportunities for shooters such as Joe Ingles and Bojan Bogdanović.
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Luckily for the Jazz, the Nuggets will be playing the second half of a back-to-back, as last night they hosted the Cleveland Cavaliers in Denver. So it could be easier than usual for the Jazz to dictate the game’s pace, and doing so might be the key to securing the win.