Entry 20: "Game Recap: Nuggets @ Jazz"
With just 3 games left in the regular season, the Denver Nuggets go into back-to-back tied for first
By: Liz
April 9, 2024
After defeating the Utah Jazz 111-95, the Denver Nuggets remain tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves for first in the Western Conference. Since All Star Break in in February the Nuggets are 19-5, tied with the Boston Celtics. Just three games remain in the regular season: tomorrow against the Timberwolves, Friday against the San Antonio Spurs, and Sunday against the Memphis Grizzlies. However, before we look forward, let’s talk about tonight's game.
As a Nuggets fan myself, going into this game knowing their record with Utah was stressful, but they managed to pull out the win. On the Jazz’s side, Luka Samanic had 15 points on 6/15 shooting [40%, 2/2 from the line], 10 rebounds and three assists in 35 minutes, Omer Yurtseven had 20 points on 9/14 shooting [64.2%, 2/2 from the line], 11 rebounds and two assists in 37 minutes, and Talen Horten-Tucker had 24 points on 10/23 shooting [43.4%, 4/8 from the three], three rebounds and two assists in 32 minutes.
Despite that, only two of Utah’s players were positive on the +/- scale: Brice Sensabaugh (+4) and Jason Preston (+8)
On Denver’s side, Christian Braun started his second game in a row and finished with 11 points on 4/6 shooting [66.6%, 3/4 from the three], five assists and two rebounds in 28 minutes, and Michael Porter Jr. had 12 points on 5/13 shooting [38.5%, 2/7 from the three] and five rebounds in 29 minutes.
While that is good and well, Denver’s dynamic duo, Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray, dominated tonight. Jokić ended his night with 28 points on 12/20 shooting [60%, 2/2 from the three], 13 rebounds and seven assists in 34 minutes, and Jamal Murray ended his night with 28 points on 11/20 shooting [55%, 4/10 from the three], four assists and two rebounds in 27 minutes. This seemed like a playoff preview.
Unlike the Jazz, there were only two players who were negative on the +/- scale for the Nuggets that clocked more than two minutes on play: Justin Holiday (-5) and Zeke Nnaji (-5).
Looking ahead at the next three games, they are very winnable if Denver remains focused on their overall goal. Tomorrow's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves determines who gets first place in the West, a battle of two of the best teams in the league. Hopefully Aaron Gordon is available, it will be hard for the Nuggets to get the win without his defensive skills. With that said, I’m just ready for the playoffs to start already. But, anyway, I’ll end this here. Go Nuggets!
References:
StatMuse (2024) Best Record Since NBA All Star Break StatMuse.com https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/nuggets-record-since-all-star-break-this-season
ESPN (2024) Utah Jazz 2023-34 NBA Roster ESPN.com https://www.espn.com/nba/team/roster/_/name/utah/utah-jazz
BleacherReport (2024) Nuggets Beat Jazz 111-95: Box Score BleacherReport.com https://bleacherreport.com/game/denver-nuggets-vs-utah-jazz-2024-4-9-18-00