Utah Jazz fall apart after building lead, can’t quite come back in loss to Denver Nuggets

Published: Jan 31, 2020, 12:01 a.m. MST

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, left, is defended by Utah Jazz center Ed Davis during the second half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020, in Denver. The Nuggets won 106-100. David Zalubowski, AP

SALT LAKE CITY — With four minutes and change remaining in the third quarter Thursday night in the Western Conference showdown between the Utah Jazz and the Denver Nuggets, Jazz guard Emmanuel Mudiay pushed the ball up the floor off a Nuggets miss to Bojan Bogdanovic, who sank his sixth 3-pointer of the night to put Utah up 70-61.

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3 takeaways from the Utah Jazz’s 106-100 loss to the Denver Nuggets

Oh, how wildly things changed in the negative for Utah over the next seven minutes. The Nuggets went on an astounding 27-1 run to seize a 16-point lead. In an almost equally wild a turn, Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson scored 24 points over the final eight minutes and Utah got back to within three with less than two minutes to go, but Nikola Jokic got buckets down the stretch and Denver ultimately won, 106-100.

The Jazz have now lost three straight games. The Nuggets now have a one-game lead in the standings as the teams came into the contest with identical 32-15 records.

Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson wears a pair of basketball shoes with a tribute to Kobe Bryant before the team's NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) | David Zalubowski, AP

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, left, collects a loose ball as Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) | David Zalubowski, AP

Utah Jazz guard Joe Ingles, front, drives past Denver Nuggets forward Will Barton, back right, as he gets caught in a pick set by Utah center Rudy Gobert during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) | David Zalubowski, AP

Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert, right, goes up for a basket as Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) | David Zalubowski, AP

Utah Jazz coach Quin Snyder looks to the bench for a substitute as guard Jordan Clarkson exits the floor in the first half of the team's NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) | David Zalubowski, AP

Utah Jazz guard Emmanuel Mudiay, front, vies for control of a loose ball against Denver Nuggets forward Jarred Vanderbilt during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) | David Zalubowski, AP

Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone argues for a call against the Utah Jazz during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) | David Zalubowski, AP

Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell, left, reaches for the ball next to Denver Nuggets forward Torrey Craig during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) | David Zalubowski, AP

Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson reacts after hitting a 3-point basket against the Denver Nuggets during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) | David Zalubowski, AP

Utah Jazz guard Emmanuel Mudiay, front, and Denver Nuggets guard Malik Beasley dive for a loose ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) | David Zalubowski, AP

Utah Jazz coach Quin Snyder directs his team during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) | David Zalubowski, AP

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, left, reaches for a rebound as Utah Jazz guard Joe Ingles watches during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) | David Zalubowski, AP

Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., right, is defended by Utah Jazz guard Emmanuel Mudiay during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) | David Zalubowski, AP

Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., front, drives against Utah Jazz forward Georges Niang duringthe first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) | David Zalubowski, AP

Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell asks for his jacket before the team's NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) | David Zalubowski, AP

Just hours after being named an All-Star for the first time in his career, Utah guard Donovan Mitchell scored only four points, all of which came in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.

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Even with Mitchell’s struggles, the Jazz were humming along well enough in the first half, as Bogdanovic, Jordan Clarkson and Mitchell’s fellow All-Star, Rudy Gobert picked up the slack. Utah started slow with eight turnovers in the first quarter — Utah had a hard time dealing with the way Denver’s pressure defense — but ball movement allowed the Jazz to start generating open looks from behind the 3-point line and they led 48-43 at halftime.

Utah had multiple opportunities to pull away early in the third quarter, but couldn’t ever quite do it and then things fell apart.

Clarkson finished with a game-high 37 points. Jokic led the Nuggets with 28 to go along with 10 assists. Denver grabbed the final six rebounds of the game to win that category by eight.

The Jazz will conclude their three-game road trip Saturday night against the Portland Trail Blazers.

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