The NBA Playoffs have a very exciting series for the 3-6 matchup in the West. The Denver Nuggets and Utah Jazz are having a hard-fought series. One team is led by All-NBA center Nikola Jokic and a rapidly improving Jamal Murray. The Jazz has a pair of all-star teammates in the free-scoring Donovan Mitchell and the reigning two-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert.

Despite Denver being the higher seed, these teams are closely matched. The series is tied one wins apiece. Denver won the first game in OT despite a 57 point effort by Donovan Mitchell. However, the Jazz rebounded with a big win in game 2.

Denver will be without Gary Harris (hip), Vlatko Cancar (foot), and Will Barton (knee). Utah will miss Ed Davis (knee) and Justin-Wright Foreman for undisclosed reasons. Mike Conley will be returning from his absence after he left the bubble for the birth of his son.

NBA Playoffs: Who wins game 3?

Despite the Jazz being the lower seed, they seem to have Denver on the ropes. Denver may have won game one, but that could have gone either way. The second game was a decisive rout by Utah. Denver has had a hard time guarding Utah, with the Jazz scoring 51.7% from the field in game two. This is in large part because of the absence of Gary Harris, which lets Donovan Mitchell have freedom.

Rudy Gobert’s solid defense has frustrated Nikola Jokic, but Jokic has the talent to outsmart the astute Gobert. However, bursts of brilliance by Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. show that the Nuggets have enough. The return of Mike Conley has bolstered Utah, but he has had a poor season. There is no obvious reason to trust his fortunes changing in this game three, especially having Jamal Murray as his matchup.

This is a close game that could go either way, but we expect the Jazz to surprise Denver once more. Denver’s game has looked sloppy and Utah has capitalized. Utah relies on a solid system right now, so Denver needs to rely on tweaks to their style by coach Mike Malone instead of the brilliance of their few stars.