Will Barton had 22 points – and that was about it for the Denver Nuggets, who got blown out 104-82 by the Utah Jazz Frida night, Denver’s 18th loss in their past 20 games.
The Nuggets had only two other player in double figures – forward Danilo Gallinari, who finished with 13 points, and Kenneth Faried, who came back after missing Wednesday night and posted 12 points and eight rebounds.
The Nuggets were absent rookie center Jusuf Nurkic, who suffered a sprained ankle in the fourth quarter of Denver’s loss Wednesday, and forward Darrell Arthur, who is working his way through a strained calf. In their place forwards J.J. Hickson and Joffrey Lauvergne got the starts.
Not sure the funky lineup and injuries helped the Nuggets in this one – they shot just 33 percent from the field and 25 percent from behind the arc, and only newcomer Barton finished above 50 percent from the field, although Faried did finish with team-high plus-15 mark in 28 minutes. It was strange to see Barton, who has been a huge spark-plug since he’s joined the team, contrasted with the rest of the roster.
Shaw postgame says he likes the hunger Barton has been playing with and he wishes the rest of the team had the same hunger #Nuggets
— Jesse Trujillo (@Jtrujillo1981) February 28, 2015
Denver only scored 17 points in each of the first two quarters, and it was easy to see where the game was headed. The Nuggets jacked too many threes as an incoherent offense once again slowed them down, and Denver was never able to get into a flow. A nice fourth quarter when the game was already decided helped mask how much of a blow out this truly was.
For Utah, forward Derrick Favors finished with 21 points, and Colorado’s own Trey Burke had 19 points.
The Nuggets will have Saturday off before taking on the New Orleans Pelicans at home on Sunday. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.
Zach Marburger is a staff writer for Mile High Sports. He can be reached via email at zmarburger@milehighsports.com or on Twitter @BurchBurger.