NBA: Nuggets look to extend home surge with visit from Jazz

The Denver Nuggets have struggled at Ball Arena for much of the 2025-26 season, but they are now turning their home court into a fortress during the season’s stretch run.

Denver (46-28) has won five straight at home after a 17-13 start and looks to extend the streak to six when the Utah Jazz visit Friday night. The Nuggets will play 10 of their last 14 regular-season games at home and will avoid any more back-to-back games, a welcome change after enduring 17 this season and significant travel.

“The nice thing about being home is you can get yourself in a routine,” head coach David Adelman said after Wednesday’s 142-135 win over Dallas. “It's a big advantage to have a routine in anything in life, but to win basketball games and get back in that rhythm is so important.”

Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray were in sync against the Mavericks, producing historic performances. Murray scored a season-high 53 points, just two shy of his career-best, while Jokic posted 23 points, 21 rebounds, and 19 assists. It was the first time in NBA history that a player scored 50 or more points while a teammate recorded at least 15 points, 15 rebounds, and 15 assists in the same game.

Jokic is averaging 27.8 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 10.8 assists this season, while Murray leads his career-high scoring pace with 25.4 points per game.

Utah (21-52) has lost three straight and eight of its last 10, securing a spot in the lottery. The Jazz will be without key players Isaiah Collier (hamstring), Lauri Markkanen (hip), and Keyonte George (hamstring), while Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jusuf Nurkic are out for the season.

Despite the absences, rookie Ace Bailey has emerged as a bright spot. Bailey is averaging 13.4 points per game this season but has raised that to 20.6 in March, posting three 32-point games this month after reaching 25 points only once in February. Bailey’s defensive growth has also impressed head coach Will Hardy.

“It’s harder to discuss an individual’s defense in these settings because there are fewer things you can really measure,” Hardy said. “I truly believe he’s grown more on the defensive side than offensively, but offense is so much easier to talk about. He’s moving toward a two-way player. He’s not there yet, but that’s the goal.”

Defense will be crucial if the Jazz hope to upset Denver. The Nuggets lead the NBA in scoring at 121.1 points per game, while Utah ranks last in points allowed at 125.2, surrendering an average of 134 points over their last three games.

-Field Level Media/Reuters