The Denver Nuggets had a one game road trip to face the Utah Jazz tonight and they were all business, on offense at least. Nikola Jokic put up a monster triple double, three different Nuggets had double digit assists and Denver’s offense was relentless from start to finish to pick up a W. Utah got good games out of Jordan Clarkson and Walker Kessler but it wasn’t nearly enough. Nuggets win big, 132-121.

The Nuggets were a little slow to start but got out in transition for a couple easy baskets. Michael Porter Jr. knocked down a couple of threes after that to get Denver a small lead. Utah responded with some three point shooting of their own to spur a 12-2 run. Denver took a timeout and refocused. Jokic and Russell Westbrook led a run for Denver that put them in front but Clarkson kept Denver from getting too far ahead. He kept getting to the free throw line and then started knocking down threes. That put the Jazz back in front and they closed the first up 37-36.

The Nuggets started the second quarter with Jamal Murray and Porter plus the bench and that group had some success. They got up by six but stalled out after that and Utah went on a 7-0 run. Jokic came back into the game with Denver trailing by three but the energy was lacking and the Jazz lead kept growing. Eventually Nikola calmed things down and started mounting Denver’s comeback. They nearly had it tied but Utah had some success from the three point line up. Denver kept pushing, Christian Braun kept getting easy baskets at the rim and the game stayed close going into the final minutes of the half. Some questionable officiating got Michael Malone a technical foul and the Jazz several free throws in the final minute and Utah led at half 66-64.

Both teams seemed to cool off a bit to start the second half but Denver was able to tie it with just over nine minutes to go. Denver kept playing well and got the lead but they couldn’t get enough stops to build a substantial advantage. Braun kept running on every possession and getting dunks or layups and generally speaking Denver’s jumpers were falling. They finally started to get a little separation with the quarter heading down the stretch. Utah finally started to miss some shots but Denver kept blowing layups. Jokic finished a dominant quarter with back to back buckets and seventeen points overall in the third to put Denver up 98-89.

Denver kept pace with Utah to start the fourth quarter but it was a bit disjointed. Murray did a good job of running the offense for the Nugget but the bench unit was still struggling and Utah was closing in. The brought Jokic back up off the bench with seven and a half minutes to go and the Nuggets up by just two…he immediately buried a three. That sparked a Denver run and they got the lead back up to nine in about ninety seconds. Utah wasn’t going to just give in, Walker Kessler kept getting set up for easy dunks and Denver’s offense went cold for a couple minutes. Utah just couldn’t find enough consistent offense to offset Denver’s onslaught and eventually found themselves still trailing by double digits in the final minutes. They pulled back within seven in the final minute but the Nuggets clamped down and finished it off. Denver wins 132-121.

Offense firing on all cylinders

Jokic had yet another monster triple double (36 pts/22 rebs/ 11asts) and Westbrook joined him with a modest one of his own (16 pts/10 asts/10 rebs). Murray had a 20/10 game, Braun scored twenty, MPJ had twenty-one, Peyton Watson had thirteen off the bench. There’s absolutely no answer for that no matter who you are. Yes, Denver has a lot of work to do on the defensive end and tonight was another game with their opponent scoring over 120 but if they can even just get to being a middle of the pack team defensively then with this offense they will be absolutely dominant.

Shout out to CB

Dec 30, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun (0) dunks the ball behind his head and over Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler (24) during the second quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images

Collin Sexton wasn’t going to let Christian get a transition layup in the final 30 seconds of the game and wrapped him up. That kept CB from setting a Nuggets franchise record for fast break points. He still ended up with 16 overall which is the most by any NBA player this season. Braun’s outside shooting has been cold in December but he showed tonight how he is so much more than just a three and D guy. When you pair him with Russ it gets even more dynamic with two players who want to run every possession on the court. Hopefully Christian can find his outside shot again and keep working towards becoming an elite shut down defender but he’s leaving behind any doubt of his ability to be a quality NBA starter already.