Utah Jazz at Denver Nuggets (-7.5) Betting Odds

Denver came through with a 126-113 victory on Saturday, good enough to cover the six-point spread. It continued a dominant trend for the Nuggets against the Jazz; they've going 7-1-2 against the spread in their last 10 meetings with Utah, including 6-4 straight up. The score also went over the total, the fourth time in five games (and third consecutive) it has between Utah and Denver. The BetED.com sportsbook has the total set at 212.5.

Carmelo Anthony got the party started on Saturday night with a career-best performance. Anthony led all scorers with 42 points on 18-25 shooting. He didn't have to do it alone, though. JR Smith came through with 20 points off the bench-18 of them in the fourth quarter, when he nailed several threes to break Utah. Nene added 19 points, while veteran point guard Chauncey Billups chipped in with 15 points and eight assists. Kenyon Martin grabbed 12 rebounds.

Offense certainly wasn't a problem for Utah. The Jazz scored above their season average and shot 54.7 percent from the floor. Deron Williams continued his brilliant season with 26 points and 11 assists. Carlos Boozer also played well, knocking down 19 points while grabbing eight rebounds. Two players-Paul Millsap and Kyle Korver-added double-digit scoring performances off the bench. The team must be better on the glass, though; Denver finished with a 42-31 rebounding advantage.

That could be a reoccurring theme in this series. Utah's second-leading rebounder, Mehmet Okur (7.1 RPG), was lost for the season to an Achilles tear. Injuries are quickly catching up to the Jazz. Andrei Kirilenko was already out for the series after reinjuring his calf at practice last week. Kirilenko averaged 11.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game this season. The spate of injuries mean Boozer will likely move to center for Game 2.

Denver's win is all the more impressive considering the adversity the team has faced over the past few months, most notably the absence of head coach George Karl. Karl is dealing with treatments for throat cancer and won't return till later in the playoffs, should Denver advance. Assistant Adrian Dantley is handling the team until then.

Game Pick - Prediction
Take the Nuggets