The Denver Nuggets can’t help themselves. They’ve got a thing for crushing the souls of the Utah Jazz.
In the wake of last season’s historic 3-1 comeback over Utah, the Nuggets authored another compelling chapter Sunday afternoon against the hottest team in the NBA.
Nikola Jokic tied a career-high with 47 points and the Nuggets snapped Utah’s 11-game winning streak with a 128-117 win. Now 12-8 on the season, the Nuggets have a quick turnaround ahead of Monday’s matchup against Detroit.
With 1:39 remaining and Jokic’s masterpiece all-but complete, Nuggets coach Michael Malone called a timeout which meant he wasn’t going to get his chance at 50 points. Jamal Murray playfully threw the ball in Malone’s direction letting him know he felt about the decision.
“I love the fact that he’s even thinking about that, trying to get his teammate to 50,” Malone said, adding he was oblivious to the scoring landmark. “Last time Jamal scored 48, somebody else chucked the ball.”
Murray finished with 16 points, while wing Will Barton added 18 and five 3-pointers. Barton and Jokic led the 3-point onslaught that, at one point, built the Nuggets a 28-point lead. In addition to his career scoring night, Jokic added 12 rebounds and five assists.
But once Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert made their run, it was JaMychal Green and Facu Campazzo who helped seal the win in the fourth, where all nine of Green’s points came.
The Nuggets appeared in complete command early in the third quarter, well on their way to a seismic win, both in significance and margin. But after taking an 86-58 lead with 8:11 left, they took their foot off the gas. The ball stopped moving on offense, and their defensive urgency around the perimeter dropped substantially.
“I always tell our guys, ‘Don’t get bored with success,'” Malone said.
The Jazz buried eight 3-pointers to close the quarter, which stole momentum and elicited numerous long stares from Denver’s bench. Denver’s droughts have tended to come off little offensive movement, which makes guarding them significantly easier. The Nuggets lost a significant factor in both facets when Gary Harris suffered a left adductor strain in the first half and was out the rest of the game.
Naturally, the Nuggets turned to their workhorse to get them out of the funk.
Jokic had 10 in the quarter alone, including six free throws, but the Jazz made it a game. Denver led just 103-91 heading into the fourth quarter following Utah’s 37-point eruption.
The Nuggets had every reason to be wary heading into Sunday’s early afternoon game. Not only had they just finished their longest road trip of the season, but the Jazz were riding a historic 3-point surge. Entering Sunday, the Jazz had hit more 3-pointers (319) through 19 games than any other team in NBA history.
“The number of shooters they have on the floor at all times is scary,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “… You worry about the three. I also worry about Mitchell, Conley, Ingles, Clarkson, their ability to get into the paint and finish. You worry about Rudy Gobert at the rim. And that’s the reason that they’re the best team in the NBA right now, because they can hurt you in so many different ways.”
Across their 11-game winning streak, the Jazz averaged 18.5 3-pointers per game on over 44% shooting. Malone reinforced Utah’s ability to find the perimeter in transition, off drive-and-kick situations and in pick-and-roll actions.
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To say the Nuggets were in rhythm throughout the first half Sunday would be a severe understatement. The Nuggets didn’t miss a 3-pointer until the second quarter started. By the time the Nuggets finally trotted into halftime with a resounding 79-54, six different players had hit from outside. Led by five triples from Barton and four from Jokic, the Nuggets buried 15-of-17 3-pointers in the first half for a casual 88% from outside.
It wasn’t as if the Jazz, prolific from outside, were off the mark from the perimeter, either. They just didn’t enjoy the same torrential downpour as the Nuggets did. Utah hit 9-of-20 from deep, but the Jazz, at least early, ran into an offensive buzz-saw.
Jokic overwhelmed whichever Jazz defender attempted to slow him. If he wasn’t raining 3-pointers, then he lived in the paint, finishing everything from short looks to reverse layups. After one reverse, multiple Nuggets players on the bench put their hands on their heads in awe. He finished the half with 33 points on 17 shots, including a career-high 22 points in the first quarter.
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