Nuggets 112, Jazz 92
DENVER — Everyone has weeks they want to forget.
The one in which you got two tickets on the same street — from the same cheery cop. The one in which you lost your job — and the dang dog ran away. The one in which, well, the one in which things went like they did for the Jazz this past week.
Utah capped a seven-day span it might just as soon put out of its mind with a 112-92 loss to Denver on Saturday night at the sold-out Pepsi Center, where the Jazz were playing for the very first time.
Some debut.
Utah, playing its fourth game of the week and second in as many nights, never could get it going against the Nuggets, who got the game's first basket on a jumper by Nick Van Exel and never did allow the Jazz to take a lead of their own.
It seemed only fitting that the loss came at the end of a stretch that started with an unexpected loss to Dallas on Monday night, and continued with a win over Philadelphia on Wednesday, spoiled by a verbal spat between coach Jerry Sloan and star Karl Malone.
If it wasn't for an expected and much-needed victory over Golden State on Friday night at the Delta Center, the Jazz might as well have done with the week what your spouse does to your basketball games with those silly soap operas — tape right over them.
As for Saturday's loss in particular, the Jazz were doing just that.
"We have to erase anything like this," center Olden Polynice said, "but still remember what we did wrong."
In this instance, it was fail to show.
Utah was down a dozen to Denver before the game was nine minutes old, giving the Nuggets all the confidence they would need to succeed in the second half.
"That was a team that was ready to play tonight. We were about half-ready," said Malone, who had a team-high 27 points and game-high 13 rebounds in the losing effort.
"They were looking sluggish," Van Exel said of the Jazz, who have won 15 of their last 18 games, but lost three of their last nine. "When you get a team in a situation like that, you('ve) got to take advantage of it."
And the Nuggets did, winning for the first time in three tries against the Jazz this season and matching their highest-ever margin of victory over Utah — the last time coming when they won 116-96 back in 1979.
Denver did allow the Jazz to cut its eight-point lead to as few as two points on three different occasions early in the third quarter. But less than two minutes later they had their advantage back up to 10 with a slam dunk from Antonio McDyess and a pair of James Posey 3-pointers.
The Nuggets ran their lead up to 20 by late in the third quarter, and the lowest Utah could get the deficit after that was when a 3-pointer by Bryon Russell made it 92-83 with 6:14 to go. Russell hit a couple of 3s in that short run, part of the 17 points with which he would wind up.
But those points came much too little and much too late, and that, combined with what the Jazz saw as some questionable refereeing, plus a key layup and free throw by George McCloud, squashed any hope Utah would have of coming back.
Two slams and a layup by McDyess, following the free throw by McCloud, put the Nuggets up 101-83, leaving the frustrated but still Midwest-Division leading Jazz to fall to 49-23. The calls that went Denver's way led Sloan to an eventual ejection late in the fourth quarter, long after the outcome had been determined. But that was not a crutch he or any of his players would fall on afterward.
"When McDyess (33 points) and Van Exel (27) are putting up big numbers, we never have been able to beat them," said Sloan, who by Friday had mended the wounds stemming from an incident in which he took Malone out of the game against Philly because he had turned his ankle. "Nick is difficult to contain. McDyess got all the shots he wanted — if he wanted to dunk, he dunked.
"We," Sloan added, "didn't have any offense. We were so casual and lethargic. I'd like to say we played hard, but I don't think we did."
Members of the Jazz had to agree.
"I don't think anybody on our team is pleased with our game tonight," said guard John Stockton, who finished with 10 points and seven assists. "Games like this aren't pleasing any time of the year."
"Give them credit," Malone said. "They hit shots (including 11-of-20 from 3-point range) and played like they were ready to play."
And the Jazz did not, which is something they certainly hope to forget.
"This team has always had a history of bouncing back," said Jazz forward Armen Gilliam, who had 10 points off the bench. "I think we have the right character to bounce back and get back to our winning ways."
If, that is, they haven't erased what it takes to do just that.
NOTES: Malone winced a few times when pushing off the right ankle he turned last Wednesday night against Philadelphia, but never came out because of it. . . . Jazz reserve guard Howard Eisley played despite a jammed and taped finger on his right hand. . . . The public address announcer at the Pepsi Center drew a gasp from the crowd by announcing that baseball's Colorado Rockies had made a trade to acquire St. Louis Cardinals slugger Mark McGwire. Then he reminded fans that is was April Fool's Day. . . . Sloan was the first coach to be ejected against the Nuggets this season. . . . Dating back to last season and the no-longer-used McNichols Arena, Denver has now won two in a row at home against the Jazz.