Utah Jazz 97, Denver Nuggets 91
With 2:40 to go before the half Nene converted a three point play to but the Denver Nuggets up by 19, the next 2:30+ won the Jazz their 10th straight game. Deron Williams and the Jazz pushed the tempo leading to 3 layups, 1 dunk and 1 free throw to close the quarter on a 9-0 run and cut the lead to 10 heading into the locker room. Utah came out with the same fire, extended the run to 17-0 and the home team never looked back.
It didn’t start out well however… When the Jerry Sloan offense gets out-of-sync, it usually hits at such a catastrophic level that the Jazz find themselves down 25 or 30 never to recover. It’s amazing how the Jazz offense completely falls to pieces when they’re a split second slow: the ball gets passed to the usher in the second row, fumble-itis sets in, turnovers on every other possession. It is a realized drawback to the finely tuned offensive system that Utah has had for the last 20+ years that is always near the top of the NBA in FG% and assists.
Game balls go to Deron Williams (25 points, 11 assists), Ronnie Brewer for his incredible hustle, energy and athleticism (yes I seem to mention that after every game, see reverse layup with foul) and C.J. Miles for hitting 2 three pointers in the last 31 seconds of the 3rd quarter sending the Jazz to the 4th with a 4 point lead.
Jazz now depart for a 5 game Eastern roadie, but they couldn’t be leaving on a better note. Nuggets (now containing Jason Hart) leave town with their division lead trimmed to .5 games and most likely a severely deflated confidence level. Nuggets contributors were primarily J.R. Smith (quiet 27 points) and Carmelo Anthony (20 points). Surprisingly Chauncey Billups had only 12 points and 2 assists while the Nuggets were -14 with him on the court.
Interesting moment in the second half when Deron William and Dahntay Jones got into it a little bit, kind of head-butting a bit as they got in each others face, heads bumping, arms swinging a bit, words flying. Double technicals called. Not sure if I have ever seen Deron get into it like that but he was about to back down. Deron’s confidence level is so high at the moment and he has turned into a true leader for Jerry Sloan and the Jazz.
So the Jazz now look forward to @Toronto, @Indiana, @Atlanta, @Miami and @Orlando on their final Eastern swing of the season. Can the Jazz keep the streak going? What game do you think it will end? Let me know in the comments.
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