UTAH JAZZ
Kris Dunn High-Fives Courtside Jazz Fan After And-One Play
Apr 8, 2023, 2:52 PM
Utah Jazz guard Kris Dunn (Credit: Ryan Sun, Deseret News)
(Credit: Ryan Sun, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY – In the second quarter against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday, Kris Dunn took it to the rack, made the layup, and got a foul call.
Dunn celebrated by counting his points and then showing some love to a nearby Jazz fan.
Kris ๐ค the fans#TakeNote | @krisdunn3 pic.twitter.com/zUEQngvnxB
โ Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) April 8, 2023
The play gave Dunn his 9th point of the contest.
Kris Dunn finished the half as the second-leading scorer for the Jazz. Dunn and Luka Samanic each had 11. Ochai Agbaji led all scorers with 15.
๐จ ๐ข๐๐๐ค๐ง ๐๐ช๐ฃ๐ฃ ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ฉ ๐จ pic.twitter.com/3aiIoDjpdZ
โ Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) April 8, 2023
The Jazz jumped out to a commanding lead in the first quarter. Denver fought all the way back to make it a three-point game at halftime, 58-55.
RELATED: Utah Jazz Get Off To Blazing Start In Home Finale Against Denver
๐ค TOGETHER ๐ค#TakeNote pic.twitter.com/g9lBAnkVAw
โ Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) April 8, 2023
With playoff seeding still hanging in the balance, the Jazz were on a mission to dethrone the West’s one-seed.
Although, a win over Denver could potentially hurt Utah’s lottery odds.
coming right back! pic.twitter.com/aibbpX2nQW
โ Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) April 8, 2023
Jazz Out Of Playoff Contention
The Jazz were eliminated from playoff contention by the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Nuggets may need to beat the Jazz to lock up the top seed in the Western Conference.
๐ pic.twitter.com/OzfJ2HXuQh
โ Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) April 7, 2023
Despite low expectations entering the year, the Jazz stayed competitive in the West playoff race until the season’s final week.
With just two games left to play in the regular season, the Jazz have more incentive to lose than to win.
Sitting at 36-44, the Jazz can guarantee themselves no worse than the ninth-best odds of winning the draft lottery by losing one of their two final games of the season.
The Mavericks can pull into a tie with the Jazz in the final standings if the Jazz win both of their final games (vs. Denver, at Lakers) and the Mavericks lose their final two contests (vs. Chicago, vs. San Antonio). https://t.co/ZjlQYmcIPy
โ Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) April 7, 2023
If the Jazz were to win both Saturday against the Nuggets and Sunday against the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Dallas Mavericks were to lose their final two games, the two teams would pull into an even 38-44 tie to finish the year, sharing lowered odds of winning the lottery.
The Mavericks will close the season at home against the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs.
Nuggets May Need Win To Clinch
The Nuggets have owned the top record in the West since December 20. Going into the final weekend of the season, they still haven’t locked up the conference’s number one seed.
The Nuggets either need to win one of their two final games or see Memphis drop one of their last two.
2 days remain in the regular season ๐ฟ
A look at the current bracket ๐
๐ฒ https://t.co/MndHjxCujI pic.twitter.com/nMJA57eigH
โ NBA (@NBA) April 8, 2023
Denver has been resting its stars in recent outings. MVP candidate Nikola Jokic may need to be reactivated to avoid dropping to the second seed.
The Grizzlies will face the Bucks on Friday night, though Milwaukee will rest most of its starters in the contest.
Memphis will close the season in Oklahoma City after playing the Bucks, while the Nuggets will host the Sacramento Kings to conclude their regular season on Sunday.
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Utah Jazz vs. Denver Nuggets Broadcast
The Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets will tip off at 1:30 pm MT on Saturday. The game will be televised on AT&T SportsNet and can be heard on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. It can also be streamed on DirecTV Stream and FuboTV.
Chandler Holt is a Digital Sports Producer for KSLSports.com, specializing in all things basketball and football. Follow Chandler on Twitter at @ChandlerHoltKSL.
