Nuggets at Jazz
The Utah Jazz got off to a solid 7-4 start, but some key injuries have led to a decline in which the club has lost four consecutive games. Utah attempts to get back in the victory column and avenge its most recent defeat on Wednesday, when it visits the Denver Nuggets.
Utah is bracing for the return of point guard George Hill, who has been sidelined for the last eight games with a sprained right thumb and is considered questionable for Wednesday's contest. "He's not able to shoot," Jazz coach Quin Snyder told reporters. "Those ligaments have to heal and become less painful or he's just not able to be effective. The main thing is, we need to get him healthy." The Nuggets have won three of their last four games and received a season-high 24 points from rookie guard Jamal Murray in Tuesday's 110-107 home win over Chicago. Murray also was effective against the Jazz on Sunday as he scored 16 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter to help seal a 105-91 victory in Denver.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, Altitude2 (Denver), ROOT (Utah)
ABOUT THE NUGGETS (6-8): Murray's long-range abilities are making Denver more difficult to defend, and he has overcome early-season issues to make 14-of-24 3-point attempts over his last five games. "It just takes one shot to have confidence," Murray told reporters after the win over the Bulls. "It doesn't take me long to get hot. I think every shot is going in. If I miss, I don't worry about it." The club's athleticism is improved with swingman Will Barton back from an ankle injury, but he is just 6-of-22 shooting in the two games while starting in place of injured shooting guard Gary Harris (foot).
ABOUT THE JAZZ (7-8): Hill isn't the only starting player out of the lineup, as power forward Derrick Favors (knee) has missed three straight games and has struggled when he has been healthy enough to play. Utah is averaging just 91.5 points during its four-game skid and is tied for 27th in the league in scoring at 96 per game. "It's been a long two weeks, but that's no excuse," shooting guard Rodney Hood told reporters. "Offensively, we started out real sluggish. We're not getting stops, that's the biggest thing."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Nuggets snapped their five-game losing streak in the series with Sunday's victory.
2. Utah SF Gordon Hayward scored 25 points in the loss to the Nuggets after averaging 10 on 11-of-42 shooting over the previous three games.
3. Denver C Jusuf Nurkic posted 14 points and 14 rebounds against the Bulls for his fourth double-double of the season.