Halftime Report: Nuggets at Jazz
By Mathew Huff
The Nuggets are holding to a one point lead at the half.
The Denver Nuggets came out on fire to kick off the game. They were defending the paint effectively and finding the open man on offense.
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Nikola Jokic has his fingerprints all over yet another game. Gary Harris has been key with his three point shooting while Kenneth Faried is dominating the glass. Michael Malone came up with a different starting lineup which showcased Juancho Hernangomez and Kenneth Faried. The Nuggets really should have a bigger lead though.
The end of the first quarter killed them as Utah had 11 points off of turnovers compared to zero for Denver at the end of the first quarter. Denver must do a better job taking care of the ball in the second half. Otherwise, this young scrappy Jazz team will make them pay. Both teams have also gotten into a shoot out a couple of times.
The Jazz have been showcasing their ability to stretch the floor, mainly from the corner. Meanwhile, the Nuggets have gotten a couple nice looks as well. Faried has been keeping up with the Jazz in the rebounding department. He even had a put back at the buzzer to end the half which put Denver up by one point.
The defensive rotations have been actually decent. They are defending the paint effectively, but it has opened up looks for their shooters. Guys like Jerebko, Mitchell and Favors are causing fits for the Nuggets. They must find a way to contain them in the second half. If not, the Jazz could start to run away with this game.
This would spill trouble for Denver who are competing in the extremely tough Northwest division. If Denver can clean up some of the sloppiness, they should be fine going forward.