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The best team in the Western Conference will look to get back on track to close out an East Coast road trip. The Denver Nuggets are 2-5 in their last seven games, and they are now just a handful of games ahead of the Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings for the No. 1 seed. That will lead to Denver being very focused prior to taking on the Washington Wizards in the final game of their last big road trip this season. Additionally, Denver has two days off before and after this Wednesday night game, so the Nuggets don’t have to worry about holding anything in reserve.
That makes Denver a great pick for the first leg in our NBA Wednesday Night Parlay, and we are going to go a little outside the box with our second pick. It’s easy to focus on the top teams at this time of year, but there’s a lot to like about what the Utah Jazz have done all season. Danny Ainge has shown he still has the magic touch, as the Jazz are somehow in playoff contention despite trading away Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell for a bevy of draft picks before the start of the season. That has the front office excited for the future, and the Jazz can now cut their teeth a bit over the last few weeks. Utah has won four of its last five games and has knocked off the Boston Celtics and Sacramento Kings in back-to-back games, so the Portland Trailblazers shouldn’t be too much of a challenge.
NBA Betting Odds at BetRivers Sportsbook
Denver Nuggets at Washington Wizards
We will likely see the Denver Nuggets installed as moderate road favorites by the NBA betting odds here. This isn’t a great spot for Washington, as the Wizards have a road game against the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night, and they will have less than 24 hours rest even though they get to play on their home court.
Washington has lost seven of its last ten games, and the Wizards might go ahead and throw in the towel on the season since they are a full two games outside the play-in tournament with 11 games to play at this point. There is no way for this team to automatically qualify for the playoffs proper, and it’s hard to imagine them beating out teams like Miami, Atlanta, and Toronto considering the talent disparity. The Wizards’ last two victories have both come against the last-place Detroit Pistons, and they are actively trying to lose games.
Denver is just 18-18 on the road, but this is an extremely important game for the Nuggets considering their upcoming schedule. They do have a three-game homestand once they return to the Mile High City, but they must face the top two teams in the East in Milwaukee and Philadelphia.
Portland Trail Blazers at Utah Jazz
The Portland Trail Blazers are essentially calling it a season at this point. Portland has lost six straight games, and the Blazers have lost five of those six games by 14 points or more. This team is now four games outside of the playoff picture with 11 games left to play, so it looks like they have made the decision to play for extra ping pong balls. At this point, they have a 37.2% chance of landing a Top 4 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft according to Tankathon, and fans are crossing their fingers for someone to pair with Damian Lillard.
Utah discovered something special with Lauri Markkanen this season. The seven-footer leads the team with 25.4 PPG and 8.6 RPG this season, and he is shooting 50/40/87. Markkanen will almost certainly earn All-NBA honors, but he is considered day-to-day and could miss this game. Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton are on the injury report too, so look for the latest news on their availability before pulling the trigger here.
The Jazz are 22-13 at home this season, while the Blazers are 14-22 on the road. As long as Markkanen plays, Utah’s bigs should have a field day against Jusuf Nurkic, as Nurkic is one of the worst defensive big men in the NBA.
