Nuggets vs. Jazz: Live stream, watch NBA playoffs online, TV channel, Game 3 time, odds, line, prediction

After a blowout win in Game 2 against the No. 3 seeded Denver Nuggets, the Utah Jazz continue to get good news, as their starting point guard Mike Conley will make his playoff debut in Game 3. Conley left the bubble on Sunday, the night before Game 1 of this series, to attend the birth of his son, Elijah Michael Conley. The veteran guard returned to the bubble Monday evening, and began his mandatory quarantine before rejoining the team. In the first two games it was evident that Utah was missing the additional scoring and playmaking that Conley provides, and it will surely take some of the ball handling and scoring responsibility off of franchise star Donovan Mitchell.

The Nuggets, will have to gameplan for Conley, in addition to addressing their abysmal defense in Game 2 that allowed the Jazz to shoot 51.7 percent from the field. Both teams will be itching to get a win in Game 3 in order to take a pivotal 2-1 lead in this series. 

Viewing information

• Date: Friday, Aug. 21 | Time: 4 p.m. ET
• Location: Disney Wide World of Sports — Orlando, Florida
• TV: TNT | Live stream: TNT app
• Odds: Nuggets -1.5 | Over/Under: 219 (via William Hill Sportsbook)

Storylines

Nuggets: Since entering the bubble, Denver has ranked dead last in defensive rating (121.7), and Game 2 of this series exposed the many weaknesses that the Nuggets have. Utah targeted Nikola Jokic far more in the second game, showing that he provides no resistance as an interior defender, and he’s even worse on the perimeter. Despite going for 28 points, Michael Porter Jr. was again a liability on defense, getting picked apart on pick-and-rolls. This is something that will continue to haunt the Nuggets throughout the rest of the playoffs, and if they don’t figure out how to remedy the issue then Denver’s stay at Disney World could be coming to an end sooner than anticipated.  

Jazz: Rudy Gobert was far more involved in Game 2, Jordan Clarkson provided 28 points off the bench and Donovan Mitchell again put up a superb performance to the tune of 30 points and eight assists. Utah completely took advantage of Denver’s horrible defense, and now that it will be getting Conley back in the fold, it will only open the game up more for the is team offensively. Conley takes some of the burden off of Mitchell, who can roam around the floor without the ball in his hands, and it provides him with an extra scorer who he can dish it to if he defense collapses on him. Utah will still miss Bojan Bogdanovic’s efficient scoring in the postseason, but getting Conley back in a huge plus for a team that will be heading into Game 3 with tons of momentum. 

Game prediction

Utah proved that it could bounce back after Mitchell had a historic performance in Game 1, and it attacked Denver’s defense mercilessly. While there’s been issues with Conley’s fit and role throughout the season, I think that the momentum from Game 2, in addition to getting Conley back will be the difference in this game. Pick: Jazz +1.5