NBA championship betting players will have their hands full picking a winner in the Western Conference series featuring Denver and Utah, who were tied at 53-29. Both even ended the season by winning six of their last 10 games, so who gets the edge when the series kicks off in Denver on Saturday night?
Jazz vs Nuggets odds – Saturday, April 17, 10:30 PM ET
The Jazz were a force down the stretch, and Deron Williams was the key, averaging 23.0 points and 9.2 assists for Utah. Williams is easily a top-five point guard in the league, and people can make good arguments for him being the best. Carlos Boozer ended the season with an average of 19.5 points and 11.2 boards, and it's unlikely that he'll be back in Utah after this season, so he would like to go out on a high note. Williams leads an attack that was fourth in the West in scoring, but they haven't been as strong defensive as a Jerry Sloan-coached team usually is, although they did manage to get their season average under 100 points to 98.9 points.
The Nuggets' basketball betting odds received a boost as Kenyon Martin returned to the lineup with three games left in the season after dealing with tendinitis in his knee, and having Martin back is great for the Nuggets as he's their best interior defender, and probably their toughest player. It's on the defensive end of the floor that the Nuggets need him, because offensively, they're fine with Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups steering the attack. The X-factor for the Nuggets' NBA odds could be J.R. Smith, who has improved this season, but he still sometimes takes some truly awful shots.
Online sports betting odds should favor the Nuggets in this contest, but not because they've won three of four against the Jazz this season. The Jazz have dropped four in a row and five of their last six in Denver, and the Nuggets' 34 home wins led the West (ironically, just two wins ahead of Utah), and that pulls them even with Atlanta for second place in the NBA behind Cleveland. There are matchups all over the place to watch, like Martin and Boozer in the post, although the Nuggets may rotate defenders on Boozer to take care of Martin's knee. There's also Billups and Williams at the point, while Utah's Andrei Kirilenko will probably guard Anthony, who averaged 33.5 points in two games against the Jazz this season. The crowd is going to be up for this game, and the Nuggets need them as coach George Karl isn't back on the bench yet due to his cancer treatments, although doctors say he should be back for the second round, if Denver makes it that far. The Nuggets will get off to a good start, so take them in your sportsbook.
