Gutsy. Frenetic. Improbable.
And in the end, glorious.
After a slow start, the Utah Jazz raced out to a double-digit lead and then held on for dear life as the Nuggets' furious fourth-quarter rally came up just short.
The result was a stunning 111-104 win over the Western Conference's top team in a game televised nationally on TNT.
The Jazz were playing the second half of a back-to-back set after a tough game with the Clippers on Wednesday, and with Ricky Rubio (hamstring), Danté Exum (ankle) and Raul Neto (hamstring) all out, they took the floor without a single one of their point guards.
Throw in the fact that Denver had won 20 of their last 21 home games, and practically nobody would have complained about a Utah loss.
Only that's not what happened.
Donovan Mitchell scored 17 of his game-high 24 points in the second half, while Kyle Korver exploded for 22 points off the bench. Derrick Favors (15 points, 11 rebounds) and Joe Ingles (15 points, 10 assists) each double-doubled, and Rudy Gobert finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and four blocks in the win.
It was a total team effort, and the Jazz (35-26) have now won three of their last four games, with the only loss coming in double overtime in Oklahoma City thanks to a miracle buzzer-beater by Paul George.
"Hats off to Kyle Korver, man. Joe Ingles, Fav and Rudy, they were fantastic," Mitchell said after the game. "We just stuck with it. We came out and defended. We did everything we were supposed to do, and we hit shots. That's really what it comes down to.
Denver (42-19) was led by the trio of Nikola Jokic (16 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists), Will Barton (21 points, 13 rebounds) and Jamal Murray (21 points).
Thursday's Best
Korver had been in a funk over his last nine games, shooting an uncharacteristic 9-for-32 (28.1 percent) from 3-point range and scoring in double figures only once. That changed in a big way Thursday night as the veteran sharpshooter caught fire, shooting 8-for-15 overall and 6-for-10 from behind the arc in 22 minutes. Korver has now made at least three 3-pointers 14 times since he was traded to Utah on November 28. Not surprisingly, the Jazz are a perfect 14-0 in those games.
Key Stretches
While the offense was slow to awaken for a third straight game, Utah's defense was top-notch from wire to wire. The Jazz outscored the Nuggets 33-15 in the second quarter to take a 15-point lead at halftime. Thabo Sefolosha came off the bench and put in three 3-pointers, while Ingles scored 12 of his 15 points in the first half to keep Utah's offense afloat.
Utah kept things going early in the third quarter as Mitchell hit nothing but net on a three, Gobert swatted a layup attempt by Jokic, and then Gobert ran the floor and threw down a left-handed slam in transition to force a Denver timeout. Korver then came in and scored five straight points to put Utah up by 18 midway through the period.
Barton and Murray, though, wouldn't let Utah pull away. The two combined for 23 third-quarter points as the Nuggets trimmed Utah's lead to eight before Mitchell re-entered the game and canned a three at the third-quarter buzzer.
Denver cut Utah's lead to five early in the fourth quarter before the Jazz went on a 13-0 run. Korver hit a three, Favors threw down a dunk on top of Mason Plumlee's head, and then Korver hit another shot to force a Denver timeout. After the break, Korver, seemingly rejuvenated by the brief rest, immediately hit another three, while Mitchell pulled up and sank a three of his own to put Utah up by 18 midway through the final period.
A 16-3 Nuggets run, though, cut the lead back to five and set up a dramatic finish. That's when Mitchell put the Jazz on his back. He scored on three straight possessions—with two acrobatic layups and a step-back jumper—to offset Denver's two 3-pointers and keep Utah up by five with just under a minute left. Gobert rose up to swat away a shot by Jokic (which was called a goaltend and then overturned on replay) and then beat Jokic in the ensuing jump ball to give the Jazz a key possession. Ingles and Murray made a free throw each, and then Ingles and Gobert went 4-for-4 from the line in the final 30 seconds to seal the victory.
Significant Stats
49.2
The Jazz shot 30.4 percent (7-for-23) in the first quarter and then 49.2 percent the rest of the game.
16
Utah made 16 3-pointers while Denver shot only 7-for-25 from long distance. Korver (6-for-10), Mitchell (4-for-8), Sefolosha (3-for-3) and Ingles (2-for-9) each made multiple threes in the win.
63.6
Both teams struggled from the line, with Utah shooting only 21-for-33 (63.6 percent) and Denver going 17-for-24 (70.8 percent). Murray, who's a career 88.1 percent shooter, went only 1-for-4 in the second half. Though they had a rough go for most of the game, the Jazz made their last five free throws in the final minute.
Notable
Gobert is the only player in the NBA with more than 800 points, 750 rebounds and 125 blocked shots. ... Utah held Denver to 40.4 percent shooting. ... Denver outscored Utah 56-36 in the paint. ... Former Jazz forward Paul Millsap finished with 15 points for the Nuggets. ... Denver grabbed 55 rebounds to Utah's 44. ... Each team dished out 25 assists.
Up Next
The Jazz will return home to host the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night. Tipoff is set for 7:00pm MT.
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