The Jazz ride a three-game win streak

The Utah Jazz advanced to 19-20 SU and 23-16 ATS on the season following Wednesday’s 124-111 home victory against the reigning NBA champions, the Denver Nuggets. It was their third win in a row and the ninth in 11 games, as the Jazz have been one of the hottest teams in the league over the last few weeks.

Utah dominated Denver from start to finish, leading by as many as 25 points. The Jazz made 55.4% of their field goals (13-for-33 from downtown) while posting a 34/17 assist-to-turnover ratio. Jordan Clarkson led the charge for Utah with 27 points and nine assists, and Lauri Markkanen notched a 26-point, 12-rebound double-double.

“We’re having fun!” Clarkson said. “I draw a lot of attention on the offensive end, so I’m just slowing down and trying to make the plays for my teammates. … It’s spacing and opportunity.”

The Jazz are 11th in the Western Conference, just half a game behind the No. 10 Houston Rockets. Utah tallies 114.5 points per 100 possessions (19th) on 46.4% shooting from the field (22nd) while yielding 117.6 points in return (22nd) on 47.7% shooting from the field (19th).

The Raptors hope to snap a two-game skid

The Toronto Raptors are coming off Wednesday’s 126-120 defeat at the Los Angeles Clippers. Playing on the second day of a back-to-back set, the Raptors covered an 11.5-point spread but failed to bounce back from a tough 132-131 loss at the Los Angeles Lakers.

Toronto made 54.8% of its field goals against the Clippers. The Raptors went 12-for-30 from downtown and handed out 31 assists, but they also turned the ball over 15 times while forcing the Clippers into a paltry seven turnovers. Immanuel Quickly led the way for the Raptors with 25 points and six assists, and RJ Barrett added 24 points and four dishes.

“I felt that we were really competing against a really good team. Our guys gave 110% of all their abilities today and we stayed in the game all the way to the end,” Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said. “A couple of missed opportunities to do a better job in the rotations, to take away a couple of layups and a couple of opportunities for us where we created a lot of easy shots around the rim that did not go our way.”

The Raptors are 12th in the Eastern Conference, a game and a half behind the No. 10 Brooklyn Nets. Toronto scores 116.0 points per 100 possessions (16th in the NBA) on 48.5% shooting from the field (8th) while surrendering 116.9 points in return (20th) on 48.4% shooting from the field (22nd).