Jazz 118, Nuggets 115
The Jazz survived to win Wednesday and some nights that's good enough in the NBA. If they can beat Sacramento, Chicago and Seattle in the coming week, the Jazz would take a 13-game winning streak into the All-Star break - - a monumental accomplishment.
Deron Williams has been playing at another level the last two weeks and made two huge plays in the fourth quarter. With 3:18 left and the Jazz trailing 98-96, Williams got into the lane and went straight at Marcus Camby under the basket.
He was attacking a guy who has 15 blocks in two games against the Jazz this season, but Williams drew contact and scored as part of a three-point play. He also hit the big three-pointer with 17.8 seconds left that ultimately forced overtime.
Williams didn't know what happened that left him so open for the shot, but Kyle Korver set a great screen on Anthony Carter, who was guarding Williams. Carmelo Anthony, meanwhile, scored 16 points in the fourth quarter but missed an open jumper to win.
Carlos Boozer really struggled and couldn't redeem his game in overtime. He went 0-for-4 and was struggling to convert on drives against Camby. The last four games, since he was selected as an All-Star, Boozer has gone just 20-for-58 (34.4 percent).
The second quarter was pretty much an afterthought by the end, but the Jazz destroyed the Nuggets 33-15 in the quarter. The Jazz started the quarter on a 12-0 run with a lineup of four reserves plus Mehmet Okur.
Korver knocked down three three-pointers - - the third of which came as he ran to the corner and the Jazz expertly rotated the ball to him - - on the way to scoring 15 points in the quarter. Three times the Jazz also rebounded their own missed free throws.
They had a 12-0 run and 11-2 run in the quarter (to go with a 10-0 run in the first half) and didn't even bring back Boozer until the final 1:38, by which time they led 52-39. It was as close as you can get to a perfect quarter for the Jazz.
The Nuggets put up a fight in the second half, filled with hard fouls (thought Kenyon Martin should have gotten a flagrant 2 for dropping Ronnie Brewer) and took advantage of all those follow-up dunks by Martin and Camby.
You can measure progress as simply as Linas Kleiza finishing with nine points (compared to a career-high 41 last month) and the Nuggets totaling just nine fast-break points (compared to 38).
* * *
Thoughts from Denver coach George Karl:
"The second half was one of the more intense halves of the season. I think Carmelo's last shot of the game was about as good of a shot as you can get in that situation. I don't think we lost this game but I think Utah won it. Our free-throw shooting in the second half really hurt us."
--Ross Siler
Deron Williams has been playing at another level the last two weeks and made two huge plays in the fourth quarter. With 3:18 left and the Jazz trailing 98-96, Williams got into the lane and went straight at Marcus Camby under the basket.
He was attacking a guy who has 15 blocks in two games against the Jazz this season, but Williams drew contact and scored as part of a three-point play. He also hit the big three-pointer with 17.8 seconds left that ultimately forced overtime.
Williams didn't know what happened that left him so open for the shot, but Kyle Korver set a great screen on Anthony Carter, who was guarding Williams. Carmelo Anthony, meanwhile, scored 16 points in the fourth quarter but missed an open jumper to win.
Carlos Boozer really struggled and couldn't redeem his game in overtime. He went 0-for-4 and was struggling to convert on drives against Camby. The last four games, since he was selected as an All-Star, Boozer has gone just 20-for-58 (34.4 percent).
The second quarter was pretty much an afterthought by the end, but the Jazz destroyed the Nuggets 33-15 in the quarter. The Jazz started the quarter on a 12-0 run with a lineup of four reserves plus Mehmet Okur.
Korver knocked down three three-pointers - - the third of which came as he ran to the corner and the Jazz expertly rotated the ball to him - - on the way to scoring 15 points in the quarter. Three times the Jazz also rebounded their own missed free throws.
They had a 12-0 run and 11-2 run in the quarter (to go with a 10-0 run in the first half) and didn't even bring back Boozer until the final 1:38, by which time they led 52-39. It was as close as you can get to a perfect quarter for the Jazz.
The Nuggets put up a fight in the second half, filled with hard fouls (thought Kenyon Martin should have gotten a flagrant 2 for dropping Ronnie Brewer) and took advantage of all those follow-up dunks by Martin and Camby.
You can measure progress as simply as Linas Kleiza finishing with nine points (compared to a career-high 41 last month) and the Nuggets totaling just nine fast-break points (compared to 38).
* * *
Thoughts from Denver coach George Karl:
"The second half was one of the more intense halves of the season. I think Carmelo's last shot of the game was about as good of a shot as you can get in that situation. I don't think we lost this game but I think Utah won it. Our free-throw shooting in the second half really hurt us."
--Ross Siler
1:11 AM
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