National Basketball Association
Denver 105, Utah 91
When: 9:00 PM ET, Sunday, November 20, 2016
Where: Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
Officials: #47 Bennie Adams, #39 Tyler Ford, #26 Pat Fraher
Attendance: 12565

DENVER -- The Denver Nuggets couldn't hit a free throw for long stretches, but it didn't matter. The Utah Jazz couldn't hit anything for most of the night.

It added up to a rare home win for the Nuggets.

Jusuf Nurkic had 16 points and 11 rebounds, Wilson Chandler scored 17 points off the bench, and the Denver Nuggets beat the Utah Jazz 105-91 Sunday.

Danilo Gallinari added 13 points and eight assists, and rookie Jamal Murray scored 16 of his team-high 18 points in the fourth quarter for the Nuggets (5-8). Denver won for just the second time in six home games.

The Nuggets, who got a boost with the return of shooting guard Will Barton, won despite missing 17 free throws. The Nuggets were 13 of 30 from the line and late in the fourth quarter had a higher 3-point percentage (36.4 percent) than a free-throw percentage (36 percent), a stat coach Michael Malone pointed out to his team.

"I said, 'Great game, but no offense, we were like team Shaq tonight,'" Malone said. "We got there (to the foul line) a lot, but I couldn't believe we were missing as many as we were missing."

Barton recorded seven points in 19 minutes after missing nine games due to a sprained left ankle.

"I knew going in he wasn't going to be the Will Barton we love and want back because he's been out for so long," Malone said.

Gordon Hayward had 25 points and seven rebounds for Utah, which dropped its fourth in a row.

The Jazz (7-8) have struggled to score in their losing streak. They led only once Sunday, after the first possession, and shot just 38.8 percent. Utah is averaging 91.1 points in the past four games, in part because injuries are taking a toll.

Utah, which played its third game in four nights, wasn't using injuries as a crutch.

"We've still got the weapons to win games," Jazz center Rudy Gobert said. "We've got to control what we can control. We still have a lot of good players."

On Sunday, cold shooting put the Jazz in a big hole early, and they could never dig out. They were 5 of 22 in the first quarter and scored just 14 points, a season low for the first period. They trailed by 19 and had scored just 28 points with 3:40 left in the first half.

"We look like a team that's emotionally and mentally drained, and usually that makes you feel physically drained," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. "The NBA is a make-or-miss league. There's going to be nights when everything goes in. The question is when you're not making shots, are you able to do the other things you're able to do to win the game."

Utah made six of its last seven shots of the half to get within 12, and a 7-0 run early in the third got the deficit to nine.

Denver quickly got the lead back up with six straight points. The game hovered around 10 points before the Nuggets pulled away in the fourth.

Murray hit two 3-pointers and a layup to give Denver an 86-71 lead. Nurkic poked the ball away on the next possession and hit a fastbreak layup, and Gallinari's driving dunk made it 90-71 with 7:34 left.

"This is how I play -- this is how I should play," Murray said.

The Nuggets had six players score in double figures and recorded 31 assists compared to nine turnovers. Guard Emmanuel Mudiay had 10 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. He also didn't have a turnover for the second time in three games.

"What I love about Emmanuel is he has 23 assists and only five turnovers in his last three games, which is what you need from your starting point guard," Malone said.

NOTES: With the return of G Will Barton, the Nuggets are only missing G Gary Harris (foot) because of injury. F Mike Miller is away from the team for personal reasons. ... Utah F Boris Diaw was back after missing the Saturday game in Houston for an undisclosed reason. Coach Quin Snyder said he was going to watch Diaw's minutes. Diaw finished with two points in eight minutes. ... Denver F Darrell Arthur (knee) was cleared for action but didn't play in the games against Phoenix and Toronto because of the glut of players in the frontcourt. ... Jazz C Derrick Favors (left knee contusion) missed his third game, while G George Hill (sprained right thumb) missed his eighth.
Top Game Performances
 
Utah   Denver
Gordon Hayward 25 Scoring Jamal Murray 18
Joe Ingles 4 Assists Emmanuel Mudiay 8
Rudy Gobert 7 Rebounds Jusuf Nurkic 11
Gordon Hayward 5 Free Throws Made Danilo Gallinari 4
Joe Ingles 1 Steals Wilson Chandler 1
Jeff Withey 3 Blocks Nikola Jokic 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Utah 91 38.8 7-27 18-23 15 49 6 3 10
Denver 105 48.8 8-22 13-30 31 49 3 4 9
Upcoming Games
  • Denver will play their next game at home against Chicago. The Nuggets have a W/L % of .200 after a win and .500 after a loss.
  • Utah will play their next game at home against Denver. The Jazz have a W/L % of .429 after a win and .500 after a loss.