The Utah Jazz struggled to contain Victor Wembanyama on Thursday night, and now they face the challenge of taking on three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic when they visit the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night.
Wembanyama torched Utah with 25 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, five steals, and five blocks in the San Antonio Spurs’ 106-88 victory, leaving the Jazz as the only winless team in the league. Securing their first win means getting past Denver’s Jokic, who is off to a strong start this season.
Jokic already has two 40-point games and two triple-doubles in the first five games of the season. However, it hasn’t been smooth sailing for Denver. The Nuggets lost their first two games, then won back-to-back overtime road games before falling to Minnesota on Friday night.
The Nuggets will be without a starter as Jamal Murray suffered a head injury in the second half of the 119-116 loss to the Timberwolves. Murray was injured when he collided with Julius Randle in the lane and left the game after a few possessions.
This presents another challenge for the Nuggets, who have heavily relied on their starters this season. Coach Michael Malone has staggered his starters with reserves and even brought in little-used Hunter Tyson on Friday to find a working formula.
Utah has the advantage of rest against a team playing back-to-back games for the second time this week. However, the Jazz are dealing with injuries, too, providing rookies Kyle Filipowski and Cody Williams with more playing time.
Taylor Hendricks is out for the season with a broken leg and dislocated ankle, and Lauri Markkanen is dealing with back spasms. As a result, Filipowski and Williams started Thursday’s game against the Spurs.
Filipowski performed well in the loss to San Antonio, scoring 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting, including 2-for-4 from three-point range. Williams, meanwhile, missed all six of his shot attempts but made both of his free throws.
The Jazz will need to regroup and find a way to stop Jokic if they hope to get their first win of the season against the Nuggets.
