Nuggets, Jazz to Continue Hitting From Deep

Things have gone from bad to panic-inducing for the Denver Nuggets, who look to avoid a 3-1 hole in their Western Conference first-round playoff series Sunday against Utah. The Jazz have put that difficult Game 1 overtime loss well behind them, following up with back-to-back one-sided victories to seize control of the best-of-seven series against the third-seeded Nuggets.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

There has been notable movement on both major lines for this game. Utah opened at -2.5 but is now at -3.5 at the majority of sportsbooks, while the Game 4 total has risen from 214.5 to 216.

Denver News & Notes

The Nuggets were one of the most careful teams in the NBA with the basketball this past season, finishing with the seventh-fewest turnovers per game (13.1). That caution has disappeared over the past two games; they've surrendered 29 turnovers over their past two games, leading to 32 Utah points (while the Nuggets have scored just 17 points off turnovers themselves).

With Gary Harris and Will Barton both out of the lineup again Sunday, Denver will need scoring help more than ever; Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. are averaging 60.7 points between them, but there isn't much coming from the rest of the lineup. The defense will also need to step up after allowing at least 124 points in each of the first three games.

Utah News & Notes

The Jazz and Nuggets averaged an identical 111.3 points during the regular season – but you wouldn't know it from watching this series. Utah is averaging 35 3-point attempts per game and is making better than 44 percent of them, surpassing its Vegas team total three straight times. And with their Sunday team number at around 110 points, Over bettors will be out in droves.

Donovan Mitchell's scoring exploits have played a major role in the Jazz's success, but he got plenty of help last time out. Mike Conley led the way with 27 points in his first game back from quarantine, while Mitchell added 20 in just 28 minutes of action. Consider taking the OVER on Mitchell's team point prop, especially with Game 4 expected to be a lot closer.

Betting Pick: OVER 214.5 (-110)

The Jazz's offense might not be this good, but the Nuggets' attack definitely isn't this bad. Look for Denver to put up more of a fight here, with both sides clicking from beyond the arc.