Denver Nuggets Ready To Battle Northwest Division Foe Utah Jazz In First Round Of 2020 Playoffs

DENVER (CBS4)- The Denver Nuggets will take on the Utah Jazz in the Western Conference quarterfinals. This will be the fifth time the Nuggets and Jazz have met in the postseason. Denver swept Utah in the season series.

Utah Jazz vs Denver Nuggets Playoff Schedule
Game 1: Monday, 11:30 a.m. (ESPN/Altitude)
Game 2: Wednesday, Aug. 19th, 2 p.m. (TNT/Altitude)
Game 3: Friday, Aug. 21, 2 p.m. (TNT/Altitude)
Game 4: Sunday, Aug. 23, 7 p.m. (TNT/Altitude)
Game 5: Tuesday, Aug. 25, TBD (Altitude) *
Game 6: Thursday, Aug. 27, TBD (ESPN/Altitude) *
Game 7: Saturday, Aug. 29, TBD (TNT/Altitude) *
*If necessary

Projected Starting Lineup:
Utah Jazz                                                                      Denver Nuggets
F – Royce O'Neale                                                         Paul Millsap
F – Joe Ingles                                                                 Michael Porter Jr.
C – Rudy Gobert                                                            Nikola Jokic
G – Donovan Mitchell                                                    Torrey Craig
G – Mike Conley                                                            Jamal Murray

Key Injuries:
Utah Jazz                                                                      Denver Nuggets
Bojan Bogdanovic – OUT (Wrist Surgery)                     Gary Harris – Day to Day (Right Hip Muscle Strain)
Will Barton – Day to Day (Right Knee Soreness)

Regular Season Recap (3-0 Denver Nuggets)

January 30, 2020 – Nuggets win 106-100 at Pepsi Center
The Denver Nuggets outscored the Utah Jazz by 11 points in the third quarter en route to the six-point win. Nikola Jokic scored 28 points with 10 assists and four rebounds. Michael Porter Jr. added 12 points and 12 rebounds off the bench. Denver held Donovan Mitchell to a season-low four points on 1-12 shooting.

February 5, 2020 – Nuggets beat Jazz 98-95 at Vivint Smart Arena
Nuggets head coach Michael Malone said this game was their best win of the season. Denver only came into the game with seven healthy players because of a four-team, 12-player deal a day before the trading deadline.

Nikola Jokic had 31 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Jokic is the 10th player with a 30-point, 20-rebound, 10-assist triple-double in NBA history. The Nuggets were down by as much as 15-points in the third quarter, before going on a 20-4 run. Jamal Murray added 31 points.

August 8, 2020 – Nuggets hold off Jazz 134-132 in Double-Overtime
The most recent meeting was a double-overtime classic inside the NBA bubble. The Nuggets were down by 18 points in the game before they outscored the Jazz by 14 points in the second-half.

This was the first game Jamal Murray played in the bubble and he had 23 points. Michael Porter Jr. had 23 points and Jokic 30 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.

Donovan Mitchell scored 35 points to lead the Jazz.

Denver Nuggets vs Utah Jazz Playoff History (Utah Jazz 3-1 in Playoff Series)
2010 Western Conference First Round – #5 Utah Jazz defeated #4 Denver Nuggets 4-2
Fun fact: Current Nugget Paul Millsap spent his first his first seven seasons of his career with the Jazz.
1994 Western Conference Semifinals - #5 Utah Jazz defeated #8 Denver Nuggets 4-3
1985 Western Conference Semifinals - #2 Denver Nuggets defeated #6 Utah Jazz 4-1
1984 Western Conference First Round - #2 Utah Jazz defeated #7 Denver Nuggets 3-2