The Denver Nuggets play host to the Utah Jazz at Ball Arena on Saturday.

The Jazz (28-35) are freefalling down the standings, entering this matchup losing nine of their last 11 games. Not having Lauri Markkanen has been a disaster, and it's unlikely that this team will get out of this deep hole when looking at their roster. They made numerous moves at the trade deadline to clear some depth because they wanted to see what youngsters like Keyonte George and Walker Kessler bring to the table. Kessler and George have been missing some games as well, but it sounds like those two youngsters should be ready to return to action here. To say they need them would be an understatement because it's unclear when Markkanen will be ready to go.

The Nuggets (43-20) are the defending champs, and they showed their true colors on Thursday. They had a showcase home game against the Boston Celtics and led for the final three quarters of that close-fought battle. Nikola Jokic had yet another 30-point triple-double, and it looks like he's running away with his third MVP in four years. What this team really wants to do is finish with the best record in the Western Conference. The Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves are all within one game of Denver and it'll be a battle between those three teams to see who lands the top spot. The reason Denver wants it is because of their home form, posting a 25-6 record at Ball Arena.

These teams have split their two matchups this season, with the home team winning both matchups. Utah has won eight of their last 11 games over Denver in total.