Nuggets at Jazz
The Denver Nuggets are playing solid basketball and aim for their sixth
victory in seven games when they visit the Utah Jazz on Friday. Denver's
offense has been clicking to the tune of 112.3 points per contest while
winning its last three games.
The Nuggets shot 56.2 percent from the field and were 10-of-18 from 3-point range while recording a 112-100 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday. Denver has scored 106 or more points in each of its last five victories and has tallied 94 or fewer in each of its last six defeats. Utah has lost four straight games and seven of nine after falling 104-94 to the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday. "We need to learn from it," small forward Gordon Hayward told reporters of a fourth-quarter collapse in which the Jazz were outscored 31-15. "As you can tell in this locker room, we are a little disappointed and frustrated. We have to find a way to pick ourselves up."
TV: 9 p.m. ET, Altitude (Denver), ROOT (Utah)
ABOUT THE NUGGETS (11-14): Veteran guard Randy Foye emerged from a season-long funk to score a season-best 19 points and make 5-of-6 3-pointers against the Timberwolves. Foye was shooting just 19.7 percent from behind the arc entering the contest, and the double-digit outing was just his fifth of the campaign. "We all knew as an organization that the Randy Foye that's played in the first 20-some odd games isn't the Randy Foye we've seen for eight years," Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. "We knew at some point he'd break out of it. It couldn't have happened on a better night."
ABOUT THE JAZZ (10-14): The skid is Utah's longest of the season and losing to the Pelicans might represent the low point of the campaign. "Yeah, it's frustrating, but I've been through it before," power forward Derrick Favors told reporters. "Just have to keep working. Keep at it. Don't feel bad or sorry for yourself. You're going to have winning streaks and losing streaks just like you have bad games and good games." Favors was a bright spot with 22 points against New Orleans and has scored 20 or more points in five of the past 10 games.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. SF Gordon Hayward scored 20 points as the Jazz posted a 96-84 road win over the Nuggets on Nov. 5.
2. Utah SG Alec Burks is just 4-of-19 shooting over the past two games.
3. Denver PG Emmanuel Mudiay (ankle) is in jeopardy of missing his third straight game.