Nuggets get toasted in game 3 by Jazz

The Nuggets defensive scheme was “cross your fingers and hope Utah misses shots”. Between that and the utter lack of fire and passion they played with made for an easy Utah Jazz win.

Denver got off to a lackadaisical start with only 14 points scored in the first quarter. Utah plugged the paint, challenged Nikola Jokic at each turn and dared Denver to beat them with an outside shot. Jamal Murray hit a few early jumpers and got the ball to Nikola in the post but Denver was unable to consistently get shots to fall.

Considering the start was extremely slow, Denver was only down 10-15 with 4:30 remaining in the 1st quarter but, unfortunately, the Nuggets were unable to get any offense going with any consistency and their defense continued to struggle. By the end of the 1st quarter they were down 14-25, arguably one of their worst playoff starts of all time.

The 2nd quarter did not fare much better for Denver. Time and time again the Nuggets were unable to plug the lanes and allowed Utah’s guards to drive and kick with little impediment. Utah’s lead ballooned to 18-38 with just under 9:00 minutes to go in the 2nd quarter.

The Nuggets showed an inability to guard Utah’s offensive attack. In the last 3+ minutes the Nuggets attempted to make a little offensive run but Michael Conley reminded Denver that a well timed 3-ball can kill momentum and he was able to do that just before halftime. At this point Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray combined for 20 points on 9 of 20 whilst Rudy Gobert had that many alone on 9 of 11 from the floor.

The 3rd quarter began with an immediate 3rd quarter 3-point make buoying the hope and dreams of Nuggets fans for a 2nd half rally. Mike Conley went ahead and brought them back down to earth by immediately sinking a 3-pointer on the assist from Joe Ingles. And from there the rout was officially on.

The Jazz outscored the Nuggets 20-35 in the 3rd quarter and never looked back. Utah didn’t waste their time trying for mid-range jump shots or high difficulty/low percentage opportunities, they took catch and shoot 3-pointers and finished at the rim with surgical precision. By the end of the 3rd quarter the Nuggets had been outscored 62-94.

A Bol Bol sighting was about the only thing that made the 4th quarter watchable for Denver Nuggets fans. He put together a few nice looks, including a nice three from the top of the key. He ended with 11 points and with a team high offensive rating. Mason Plumlee did his best to bring some energy as well. He had a nice alley oop dunk on a high pick and roll with P.J. Dozier. The bench players finished out the game as the Nuggets conceded the 4th quarter and eventually the game to the Jazz 87-124.

The Nuggets were never truly able to get any semblance of an offense kick-started and their defensive execution was non-existent. If they want to put up a fight and make this series a battle they will have to improve in all facets. They will play Utah in series game four on Sunday, Aug 23rd at 7:00 pm mountain time.