Short-手渡すd Nuggets host hot Jazz
The Denver Nuggets are 取引，協定ing with 傷害s to 重要な rotation players, so the 堅い schedule to end the month of January is even rougher for them.
The last three games come against teams with a 連合させるd 33-7 記録，記録的な／記録する for January, with games left against two of the hottest teams in the NBA.
Denver travels to play Milwaukee on Friday night, but before 直面するing a team that is 11-1 for the month, the Utah Jazz come to town for a 重要な 対決 on Thursday night. It is the first 会合 of the season between the teams.
Utah enters the matchup at 11-3 for the month after its 127-120 loss at San Antonio on Wednesday night, but 疲労，（軍の）雑役 won't be a factor in a 戦う／戦い for first place in the Northwest 分割. The Nuggets have been 頂上に the 分割 most of the season but the 最近の play by the Jazz had 丸天井d them over Denver.
The loss to the 刺激（する）s on Wednesday night left both teams with a 32-15 記録，記録的な／記録する. It 人物／姿／数字s to be a tight race for the second half of the season, which makes Thursday's 国家的に テレビ放送するd game even more important.
The Nuggets are coming off a 104-96 loss at Memphis on Tuesday night, a game in which they looked 疲労，（軍の）雑役d and out of sync without Jamal Murray, Paul Millsap and Mason Plumlee. Guard Gary Harris is 支援する from a 権利 adductor 緊張する but he is on a minutes 制限.
Murray (left ankle), Millsap (left 膝 contusion) and Plumlee (権利 foot 傷害) will not play against Utah, making things more difficult against the Jazz.
Denver's 弁護 was soft in the middle against the Grizzlies and the 罪／違反 struggled. Memphis had 11 封鎖するs and 軍隊d 19 turnovers, seven by Nikola Jokic, who finished with 25 points and 13 回復するs.
"We had a lot of failed 所有／入手s," Jokic said. "弁護 was not what it was supposed to be. We were living in the paint. They would blow by us."
Plumlee's 弁護 might have helped shore up the paint 弁護 but until he gets 支援する the Nuggets will have to find a way to keep Utah's guards from getting to the 縁. Jokic will also have to 人物／姿／数字 out how to 得点する／非難する／２０ against Rudy Gobert, who is fourth in the league in 封鎖するs with 2.0 per game.
The Jazz can't relax against Denver, a lesson they learned in dropping a home game to the short-手渡すd Houston ロケット／急騰するs on Monday night. 長，率いる coach Quin Snyder said before that game it's dangerous to take a 傷つけるing team lightly, and then Houston made him prophetic.
"井戸／弁護士席, I think there's plenty of examples of short-手渡すd teams playing 井戸／弁護士席 and winning," he said. "And I think as much as we've talked about a couple things -- we've talked about getting better throughout the course of the year, and ーするために do that, we've 手配中の，お尋ね者 to make it about us and how we play. 明白に 競争 helps 明らかにする those things for you."
Utah should be 動機づけるd now that it has lost 連続した games for the first time since dropping three in a 列／漕ぐ／騒動 from Dec. 1-4.
--Field Level マスコミ
