Jazz-Nuggets Preview

By KATE HEDLIN
Posted Jan 15 2012 1:42AM

Despite opening the season without the faces of their respective franchises, neither the Denver Nuggets nor the Utah Jazz considered themselves to be rebuilding.

So far, both have been proven right.

The Northwest Division rivals will look to continue their surprising starts when they meet for the second time this season Sunday night in Denver.

The Nuggets played well at the end of last season after trading Carmelo Anthony to New York and they have carried that over into 2011-12. Denver (8-4) has won six of eight including its last two games after defeating Miami 117-104 at home Friday.

Ty Lawson returned after missing the previous game with a foot sprain and scored 24 points to go along with nine assists in the win over the Heat, while Nene finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds.

The Nuggets shot 55.1 percent overall and 12 of 25 from 3-point range as their up-tempo offense paid dividends.

"My emphasis at every timeout was don't stop running," coach George Karl said. "Try to run every possession."

That style has been very effective for the Nuggets, who lead the Western Conference with 104.8 points per game and have shot better than 55 percent in four of their last six contests.

Lawson, who is averaging 17.1 points, is shooting 52.2 percent on the season and 60 percent over his last three games.

"We're trying to stay under the radar," Lawson, who was 9 of 11 from the field Friday with both misses coming from 3-point range, told the Nuggets' official website. "We don't need all the press. We're just going to try to get in the playoffs and make a lot of noise."

Denver has won six of its last seven home meetings with Utah, including a 117-100 victory Dec. 28, when Nene had 25 points.

While Utah (7-4) also dealt a key player last season in Deron Williams, it is also playing well after a slow start. The Jazz have won six of seven, with the only loss coming in overtime against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday.

The Jazz bounced back from that defeat Saturday with a 107-94 home victory over Williams and New Jersey. Al Jefferson scored 20 points and Paul Millsap added 18 with 12 boards and four steals.

It was only the fourth time this season Utah, which is averaging 93.6 points, scored at least 100.

"We want to make sure we push (the offense) early," coach Tyrone Corbin said. "It allows us to get into our offensive sets a lot sooner. ... We're a team that is capable of running."

While the Jazz scored a lot Saturday, defense drives their success. They are limiting opponents to 89.1 points per game this month.

"It starts with defense," said Jefferson, who is averaging a team-high 18.8 points on the season and has three blocks in each of his last two games. "When you get turnovers, turnovers lead to fast breaks and to easy baskets and that gets our confidence up and opens up everything."

Utah's defense could be in for a challenge Sunday. Denver has scored at least 103 points in each of the last 10 games in this series.

Millsap's double-double leads Jazz past Nuggets

Posted Jan 16 2012 12:12AM

DENVER (AP) The methodical Utah Jazz had no trouble slowing down the fast-paced Nuggets.

Paul Millsap had 26 points and 12 rebounds, Al Jefferson added 18 points and 12 rebounds and the Jazz beat Denver 106-96 on Sunday night.

Gordon Hayward scored a season-high 19 points and Devin Harris and Alec Burks added 10 each for the Jazz, winners of seven of eight.

Danilo Gallinari and Nene scored 18 points each and Arron Afflalo 16 for the Nuggets.

Utah was outrun in the teams' first meeting Dec. 28. Denver scored 117 points, 27 on the break, but it was a different story Sunday. The Jazz set the pace and Denver couldn't adjust.

"We controlled the tempo of the game by executing our offense, which didn't allow them to get out in transition," Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said. "For the most part, we really controlled the tempo of the game."

The game was close throughout until Millsap got going early in the fourth quarter. He scored 16 points in the period and gave the Jazz control of a close game.

"Yeah, he got it going," Denver forward Al Harrington said. "Nothing I could do about it, either. Usually I can cut a guy's wood off. He's a good player and he had a great fourth quarter, so tip my hat off to him. Good job."

After a 3-pointer by Gallinari cut the lead to 81-79, the Jazz went to Millsap down low. The forward responded by scoring Utah's next 14 to give the Jazz a 95-83 lead midway through the period.

"I just found a rhythm, just found a zone," Millsap said. "My teammates did a great job of finding me. There was a mismatch and we tried to expose it. Our team is very unselfish and they find the guy with the mismatch. You get in a zone like that, you get hot and start feeling it, guys just start looking for you."

Harris hit a 3-pointer with 3:52 left to make it 98-85, Utah's biggest lead of the game. Denver cut the lead to seven but couldn't get any closer.

The loss comes two days after Denver beat Miami, a win that might have contributed to Sunday's loss.

"I would probably blame (the loss) on our NBA cool," Nuggets coach George Karl said. "We thought we were cool after kicking Miami's butt and we got embarrassed. The NBA game does that quite frequently. If you think you're better than you are or you think you're cooler than you are and you don't think you've got to put in the hard work to win games, you get embarrassed - and we got embarrassed."

The Jazz started fast in the third quarter, scoring the first seven points to take a 55-48 lead. Denver responded with a 10-2 run to go back in front, but Utah countered with six straight points to take the lead for good. The Jazz led 77-73 heading into the fourth.

Neither team could take control in the first half. Jefferson had 12 points to help the Jazz take a four-point lead in the first quarter, while Nene had 11 for Denver, which led by as many as five.

The Nuggets used a big advantage in free throw attempts to keep pace with Utah in the first half. Denver was 12 for 18 from the line while the Jazz were just 5 for 7.

"It's a bad loss," Afflalo said. "Our energy level at the beginning of the game, despite having a tie at halftime score, wasn't where it needed to be and as a result we lost."

NOTES: Utah F Derrick Favors left the game in the first half with a sprained left ankle. ... Nuggets G Rudy Fernandez left the game in the second quarter with a right Achilles tendon strain. ... Utah F Josh Howard did not play because of a strained left quad. ... The Nuggets recalled rookie F Jordan Hamilton from Idaho of the NBA Developmental League.

Notebook: Jazz 106, Nuggets 96

By Michael Kelly, for NBA.com
Posted Sunday January 15, 2012 11:49PM

THE FACTS: Paul Millsap had 26 points and 12 rebounds, Al Jefferson had 18 points and also grabbed 12 rebounds and the Utah Jazz beat the Denver Nuggets 106-96 on Sunday night. Gordon Hayward had a season-high 19 points for the Jazz, which has won seven of its last eight.

Danilo Gallinari and Nene had 18 points each for the Nuggets, who finished their homestand 2-2.

QUOTABLE: "I would probably blame (the loss) on our NBA cool. We thought we were cool after kicking Miami's butt and we got embarrassed. The NBA game does that quite frequently. If you think you're better than you are or you think you're cooler than you are and you don't think you've got to put in the hard work to win games, you get embarrassed -- and we got embarrassed."
-- Nuggets coach George Karl.

THE STAT: The Jazz knew the key to beating the Nuggets was slowing them down. In nine of their first 12 games the Nuggets had at least 20 fast-break points. Utah held them to 11 Sunday, and only two in the second half.

TURNING POINT: After Denver pulled to within a bucket on a 3-pointer by Gallinari, Millsap took over. He scored six straight points to force the Nuggets to take a timeout. It didn't help. Millsap stayed hot, scoring eight more to push the lead to 95-83 with 4:50 left.

QUOTABLE II: "My teammates did a great job of finding me, of going to me. There was a mismatch and we tried to expose it. Our team is very unselfish and they find the guy with the mismatch. You get in a zone like that, you get hot and start feeling it, guys just start looking for you."
-- Millsap

HOT: Millsap has been a workhorse for the Jazz the past four games. He had a season-high 29 in a loss to the Lakers on Tuesday and is averaging 23 points in that span.

QUOTABLE III: "In my opinion they kind of disrespected him by putting (Gallinari) on him. He had an advantage and he got hot. Once he gets in that type of zone it's hard to stop him. He was in that zone tonight."
-- Jefferson, on Millsap.

NOT: The Nuggets foul shooting was just that -- foul. They were shooting 59 percent at one point in the fourth quarter, and if it weren't for Gallinari's 12-for-12 contribution at the line they would have been 14-for-27 on the night.

INSIDE THE ARENA: Colorado Rockies manager Jim Tracy was in attendance. ... Denver mayor Michael Hancock was sporting a Tom Brady jersey as part of a bet he lost to Boston's mayor over the Broncos-Patriots game Saturday.

GOOD MOVE: The Jazz dictated their pace throughout the game. Making shots -- Utah hit 52 percent from the field -- helped, but Denver could never get its running game going.

BAD MOVE: It was an injury-plagued night for both teams. Utah started the game without forward Josh Howard (strained left quad) and then lost Derrick Favors to a sprained left ankle in the first half. Denver guard Rudy Fernandez left the game in the second quarter with a strained right Achilles tendon.

ROOKIE WATCH: Alec Burks had another good night in his return to the state where he played his college ball. The former University of Colorado star had 15 points in the first meeting here on Dec. 28, and he followed that with 10 points off the bench Sunday.

NOTABLE: The Jazz are 5-0 all time when Millsap scores at least 26 points and grabs 12 rebounds. ... Denver made its first two field goals of the fourth quarter and shot 3-for-17 the rest of the way.

UP NEXT: For the Jazz, Tuesday vs. L.A. Clippers, Thursday vs. Dallas, Saturday vs. Minnesota. For the Nuggets, Tuesday @ Milwaukee, Wednesday @ Philadelphia, Friday @ Washington.

• Jazz: --
• Nuggets: Carroll, Hamilton

• Jazz: --
• Nuggets: --

• Lead Changes: 12
• Times Tied: 13

• Arena: Pepsi Center, Denver, CO
• Officials: #25 Tony Brothers, #42 Eric Lewis, #77 Karl Lane
• Attendance: 16208
• Duration: 2:15