Utah Jazz vs Denver Nuggets recap and final score: Utah gave the Nuggets all they could handle

There were two different motivations for the teams in this game, one in need of a win for playoff positioning and one … not wanting a win. But if you weren’t familiar with the two teams in this game, you might have guessed the Jazz were the ones looking for the win and the Nuggets were not interested in taking this game. Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets defense was as bad as it gets. Nikola Jokic couldn’t have shown less interest in defending the rim and the Jazz took advantage all night long driving to the basket and scoring at will.

That said, the Nuggets were able to gut this one out with Utah sitting a few players to end the game and having Bez Mbeng play the entire 4th quarter (he was a -16). With all that, Denver squeaked out a win 135-129.

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If you’re a Nuggets fan, you can’t feel good about what you’re seeing. That defense is 1st round sweep bad. Maybe they turn it around in the playoffs, but that’s hard to do. If you’re a Jazz fan, you have to be really excited about what you’re seeing from the young core of players, especially from Cody Williams and Ace Bailey. Williams had arguably the best game of his career with 24 points, 7 assists, and 2 steals. He’s playing with so much more confidence than in the past and has become a real asset across multiple facets of his game. Utah has created a roster with two-way talent across the board, and Cody fits into that in a big way. Ace Bailey didn’t have a great night shooting the three, but he continues to show why he’s got such a bright future. His defense is as exciting as his offense and helps him make an impact when his scoring isn’t there. Bailey dealt with foul trouble tonight, which is why he only played 27 minutes. But these minutes he’s getting are invaluable for Bailey’s growth and will pay dividends in the future because he’s getting a taste of certain things sooner rather than later.

With this loss, Utah is now three games up on Dallas in the lottery standings and is in great position to keep their pick and it will be a very successful season if they do. If Utah jumps in the lottery, it’ll be a season for the…

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Publish date : 2026-03-28 06:11:00

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