Denver Nuggets (38-24) beat Utah Jazz (18-43) 128-125 on the road on Monday, March 2 in a game that stayed within 7 points at every quarter break.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Jazz had the better start, winning the first 34-33 to lead by 1 after one. The teams matched each other with 33 points apiece in the second quarter; the Jazz still led by 1 at halftime.
The Nuggets won the third 34-26 to turn the game around, taking a 7-point lead into the fourth. The Jazz took the fourth 32-28; the Nuggets held on for a 128-125 regulation win.
The edge that mattered
The Nuggets made 43.2 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts, compared with 25.6 for the Jazz. The Nuggets got more from their shots, finishing at 64.9% effective field-goal shooting compared with 59.9% for the Jazz. In a 3-point game, the points at the line gave them room for error elsewhere.
The Jazz did win one battle, ball security: TOV% of 9.1 against 15.6. The Nuggets made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 97 possessions per team, the Nuggets produced 131.4 points per 100 possessions to 128.3 for the Jazz.
Who made the difference
Jamal Murray was the game's biggest individual force for DEN: 45 pts, 2 reb, 8 ast on 13-19 shooting. His Game Score of 36.5 led everyone.
Keyonte George led the Jazz with 36 pts, 2 reb, 2 ast, 4 stl on 14-22 shooting, good for a 27 Game Score.
Nikola Jokic (22 pts, 12 reb, 5 ast) recorded a double-double.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Nuggets about a 73% chance.
Across the last 5 meetings in our records, Denver Nuggets lead 5-0.
The Nuggets are now 38-24, and the Jazz are 18-43. The Nuggets last five before this game: W-L-W-L-L.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.