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Point-of-attack defense, late turnovers lead to Denver Nuggets dropping finale of 6-game road trip in Utah

By Vinny Benedetto February 2, 2022 | updated 3 years ago

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Turnover troubles down the stretch and defensive problems at the point of attack took a toll on Denver’s hopes for a shorthanded win in a 108-104 loss Wednesday in Utah.

After Will Barton III drove for a layup that tied it at 97 with 3:57 left in the game, the Nuggets committed four turnovers in as many minutes, leading to seven late Utah points. The Nuggets committed 11 of their 14 turnovers, which led the 16 of Utah’s 20 points off turnovers, in the second half.

“Close game on the road, undermanned, those are just so valuable, those possessions that you’re not getting a shot off,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “The effort was there. A lot of guys stepped up and made good plays, but the paint and the turnovers, were in my opinion, the deciding factor.”

Utah scored 64 of its points in the paint and outscored Denver by 22 inside. Trent Forrest led the Jazz with 18 points after frequently beating his defender off the dribble. Denver was without its best point-of-attack defender in Aaron Gordon and starting center Nikola Jokic, who has improved as an interior defender.

“He went right. He’s still going right. I think when he goes home, he’s going to be in the right lane, and we let him go right all night long,” Malone said. “That’s where you have to be a little more locked in to who am I guarding? What are his tendencies to try and take that away? Size would help, but I think you’ve got to sit down and guard.”

Mike Conley added 17, while Rudy Gay, Bojan Bogdanovic and Royce O’Neale scored 15 points apiece.

Bryn Forbes scored 26 points off the bench to lead the Nuggets, and Monte Morris added 15. Forbes had a hot shooting night, finishing 10 of 13 but committed one of those four late turnovers.

“We had a few untimely turnovers that made it a little rough for us to win that game,” Forbes said, lamenting losing the ball with the Nuggets down two with 3:09 left. Conley picked up the ball, and Gay finished the possession with a couple of points in the paint.

“Then, (we were) coming down and picking up stupid fouls and letting them get some easy baskets at the rim. It was a little frustrating.”

Barton (14) Davon Reed (13) and Bones Hyland (10) also scored in double figures for Denver. After adding seven rebounds, four assists and a steal with no turnovers in nearly 30 minutes of playing time, Reed, who was signed from the G League earlier this season, said he feels like he’s proving that he deserves a full-time spot in the NBA.

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“(I’m) showing that I can defend multiple positions, I can make open shots, and, given the opportunity, I can make plays for my team as well,” Reed said.

After a slow start, the Nuggets finished the first quarter on a 20-9 run and led by two to start the second. Reed and Forbes each hit three 3s in their first stint off the bench, and the Nuggets led by one at halftime. Utah continued to score inside in the third quarter and took a three-point lead to the fourth. Barton tied it late, but the Nuggets couldn’t take good enough care of the ball down the stretch.

Nikola Jokic did not play with toe soreness, but he did pick up the NBA’s Western Conference Player of the Month award for January. The All-Star starter averaged 26.6 points, 13.3 rebounds, 9 assists and 1.4 steals per game as the Nuggets went 11-5 to start 2022. He recorded seven triple-doubles in 16 games.

Aaron Gordon (hamstring) and DeMarcus Cousins (foot) also missed the game for Denver. Utah played without Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell and others.

“Our guys competed,” Malone said. “Our guys played hard, just didn’t do enough in the end to get the win.”

A return to Ball Arena after a week and a half on the road is scheduled for Friday against the Pelicans.

Denver Nuggets’ bench takes a step back in lopsided loss to Minnesota Timberwolves

Denver Nuggets defeat defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, stretch win streak to 5

Denver Nuggets new-look second unit shines in second stint against New Orleans Pelicans

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