- The Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets will play a seventh and deciding game in their first round series
- Despite winning the last two games, Jamal Murray and Denver are a one point underdog for Game 7
- See updated game odds, spread and total within the story below
The absolutely epic first round series between the Jazz and Nuggets will come to a close on Tuesday, as Donovan Mitchell and Jamal Murray are setting NBA playoff records as they rack up points in dizzying fashion.
Murray clipped Mitchell with 50 points compared to Mitchell’s 44 in the Nuggets 119-107 triumph on Sunday to force a seventh game.
In the regular season Denver swept the three-game season series, only for the Jazz to race out to a 3-1 series edge in the bubble. Murray has put the Nuggets on his back to will the series to a seventh and deciding game on the strength of a pair of 50-point contests.
Which team has the upper hand to advance to play the LA Clippers in the second round? Opening odds have Utah as slight favorites to win Game 7.
Utah Jazz vs Denver Nuggets Game 7 Opening Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Point Spread at DraftKings |
|---|---|---|
| Utah Jazz | -114 | -1 (-109) |
| Denver Nuggets | -105 | +1 (-112) |
Odds taken August 31st
Through six games, Mitchell leads all NBA players with a ridiculous average of 38.7 points per contest, while his counterpart has racked up 34 per game.
There have been four 50-point games in this '20 postseason. That is the most 50-point games in a single postseason in NBA history.
Of course, all four have come via Murray and Mitchell in the Nuggets-Jazz series. pic.twitter.com/2PnoyeD1K9
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 31, 2020
The duo have also scored 40 points apiece twice in the series, making them the first pair of opposing players to have done that multiple times in a playoff series.
Jamal Murray Carrying Nuggets
Still only 23 years old, Jamal Murray has been lethal against Utah, carrying Denver the distance after scoring just 62 points in the first three matchups. Since then, it’s been the stuff of legend for the Canadian.
Jamal Murray has scored 142 points over his last three games. FROM ELIAS: Only two players in NBA history have scored more points over a three-game span in the playoffs. Jerry West (overlapping span in 1965) and Michael Jordan (1988). pic.twitter.com/dITysd3hbI
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) August 31, 2020
Murray and the Nuggets will attempt to become just the twelfth team ever (and first since the 2016 Cavaliers in the finals), to overcome a 3-1 series deficit. He was unconscious Sunday, going 17-for-24 from the field and 9-for-12 from downtown.
In the fourth quarter, Murray outscored Mitchell 21-to-17 to ensure Utah didn’t make it a close contest.
Jamal Murray is the 1st player since Michael Jordan in the 1993 NBA Finals with 3 straight 40-point games in a postseason series (Jordan had 4 straight). pic.twitter.com/SZW13PvTXZ
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) August 31, 2020
Anytime you’re mentioned in the same breath as Michael Jordan, you know you’re in heady company – which is what Murray is in now.
Donovan Mitchell Racking Up Points
Not to be outdone by his adversary, Donovan Mitchell has also been a freak, leading playoff scoring with 232 total points – including 51 in game 4 and 44 in game 6.
That isn’t even his highest point total in the series, with Mitchell posting 57 in Game 1. Three of the four highest point totals he’s had on the campaign have come in the battle against Denver alone.
Donovan Mitchell this series:
38.7 PPG
54.8 FG%
55.4 3P%
94.6 FT%Jamal Murray this series:
34.0 PPG (47.3 last 3 games)
58.5 FG%
57.4 3P%
91.3 FT%Game 7 is Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/YuHgK1ggSB
— StatMuse (@statmuse) August 31, 2020
Mitchell has made 54.8% of his field goals and 55.4% from beyond the arc in the series so game 7 should provide even more fireworks.
Nuggets Used to Game 7’s
This will be the third straight game 7 for the Nuggets, having prevailed against the Spurs in the first round last year before dropping the deciding game against the Trail Blazers the following round.
This will be the first game 7 for the Jazz in the Donovan Mitchell era. In virtually a toss-up game, I like a team that’s used to being in these crunch time situations.
Pick: Denver Nuggets -105 moneyline, +1 ATS
The post Nuggets Open as 1-Point Underdog for Game 7 vs Jazz Despite Jamal Murray’s 50 Points in Game 6 Win appeared first on Sports Betting Dime.
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