Williams and Jazz slip past Nuggets
Salt Lake City, UT (Sports Network) - Deron Williams poured in 25 points and
doled out 11 assists to lead the Utah Jazz to their 10th straight win, a 97-91
victory over the Denver Nuggets.
Ronnie Brewer added 16 points for the Jazz, who have also won 11 straight at
home. Mehmet Okur and C.J. Miles scored 12 and 10, respectively.
Carlos Boozer chipped in nine points and 16 boards in the win.
J.R. Smith had a game-best 27 points for the Nuggets, who have dropped three
of four. Carmelo Anthony added 20 points and Chauncey Billups 12 in defeat.
Denver opened a 24-16 lead after the first quarter and was on top 47-37 at the
break.
"The energy wasn't there for us in the first half so we tried to be more
aggressive," said Williams. "We needed to push the ball a little more and
create a better tempo [in the second half]."
An 8-0 Utah run that opened the third quarter made it 47-45. Okur, Miles and
Williams each had a pair of free throws before Brewer's layup closed out the
surge with 9:50 left in the frame.
"They (Jazz) came out in the third quarter, they (referees) started blowing
the whistle," said Smith. "They (Jazz) got every call, they got to the free
throw line. That's what opened it up and then the fans got behind them. And
it's tough to beat them when their fans are going nuts here."
The teams traded baskets before six points from Brewer gave the home team a
55-52 lead with 6:03 left in the third period.
The lead seesawed before Miles hit a pair of late threes to give the Jazz a
73-69 lead heading into the final 12 minutes.
Leading by two early in the fourth, Boozer hit a free throw, Paul Millsap
poured in a couple of layups and Kyle Korver nailed a three to make it 81-71
with 9:12 left in the tilt.
Denver never got closer than the final margin from there.
Game Notes
The Jazz moved to one-half game behind the Nuggets for the lead in the
Northwest Division...Utah, which is 28-6 in Salt Lake City, hasn't suffered a
setback as the host since a six-point loss to San Antonio on January 27...Utah
leads the season series 2-1 and the home team has won each matchup...Overall,
the Jazz have won 11 of their past 14 games against Denver. Utah has also
beaten the Nuggets in seven of Denver's past eight trips to Salt Lake
City...Denver is 17-16 as the visitor on the year.
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