Was it entertaining? Sure.
Was it beautiful basketball? If you hate defense, it was the Mona Lisa.
Was it a win? Decide for yourself.
1st Quarter
Jamal Murray came out with a flamethrower, and Jokić was content to keep fueling the tank.
Cam, AG, and CB all got active after Jamal’s explosion, adding eight more and giving the Nuggets a 17-3 lead after just four minutes. Sensabaugh and Filipowski kept Utah around, nearly putting up their own double-digit first quarters. But the first ended the way it started, more or less, with a Jamal three—but this one was from 49′ and gave the Denver a 39-28 lead.
2nd Quarter
The Nuggets built on the lead, with Peyton Watson, Bruce Brown, and Jonas Valančiūnas trading buckets. Murray’s step-back three with under eight minutes in the half expanded the lead to 51-33, a lead they would maintain into halftime. Sensabaugh and Filipowski continued to fill it up, but Cam’s 14 first-half points, most of which came in the back half of the second quarter and more Murray sent the Nuggets to the locker room up 68-54 despite Jokić having a hilarious stat line of 2/8/8.
3rd Quarter
Utah continued to compete in the third. Tshiebwe and Bailey scored six, followed by a bucket by Sensabaugh after a pair of Murray free throws, cutting the Nuggets lead to 70-62 and leading to a timeout. The teams traded baskets with Cam continuing his solid offensive game with a dunk and assist to Jokić. But after Bailey hit a pull-up three, the Jazz cut the lead to six, a margin they would maintain until the 4-minute mark of the quarter. Out of the timeout, though, Jok and Mal put their feet down, first a Nikola hook then Murray’s fifth three on a running pullup. After three Nuggets free throws, the lead quickly inflated back to 14.
Play got more chaotic to close out the quarter, with the teams trading turnovers, cheap fouls, and cherry-picking. Johnson’s 19th point on a corner three gave Big Honey another triple double, but his fifth turnover on an attempted leak out pass followed by a fumble under the basket gave Utah a burst of momentum and cut the lead back to 95-88. Utah capitalized on a tough Murray fadeaway with a layup in transition to end the quarter squarely in the game.
4th Quarter
The Nuggets bench continued to let the lead slip through the first few minutes of the final quarter. Chandler’s free throws got the Jazz to within four before CB rolled in a layup then found Murray open for a three that rimmed off. Utah converted on the other end, but Jamal matched to protect a six-point lead. Cam continued his great play, preventing an interior pass, which led to an off-the-backboard alley-oop dunk to Christian for his 15th of the night. Continuing the swing in energy, Murray knocked down his sixth three and Brucey B laid it in for his 11th point and a 112-99 lead. After Big Val’s tip-in, the lead had ballooned to 17 with under six minutes left.
The Jazz answered with a 9-0 run of their own to hang around. A CB and-one for his 18th point preserved the double-digit lead, capped off by Jamal’s ninth three on a 26′ pullup immediately followed by a curling triple off Jokić’s 12th assist (guaranteeing that the real MVP would average a triple-double for his second straight season). With the game well in hand 128-110 with under two minutes left, the Nuggets pulled the starters, securing the second-straight sweep of Utah.
FINAL SCORE: Denver Nuggets 130, Utah Jazz 117
GAME NOTES
- The Nuggets’ 25th road win of the season tied a franchise record
- Murray’s 10 threes tied his season high (37/5/4 and 3 stocks)
- Christian and Cam both had great all-around games, scoring in double-digits with efficiency and solid contests on the defensive end
- PWat went out with a potential tweak to his hamstring—fingers crossed
