Jazz Look To Snap Four Game Losing Streak Against Nuggets

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Utah Jazz will look to snap a four-game losing streak Wednesday night against the Denver Nuggets. After a winning streak that saw the Jazz win 19 of 21 games against mostly sub .500 competition, the team has dropped four in a row against opponents that will either make the playoffs or are competing for the final postseason spots over the final months of the season.

The Nuggets are one of the four teams the Jazz lost to over the stretch, falling 106-100 in Denver Thursday night. The Jazz fell to Denver on the second night of back to back games after losing to the San Antonio Spurs Wednesday in San Antonio. 

All-Star center Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets to victory scoring 28 points, 13 of which came in a clutch fourth-quarter outing to withstand a late Jazz rally. 

The footwork.
The fade.
The All-Star. pic.twitter.com/K9pViCJCBx

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) January 31, 2020

Donovan Mitchell had his worst game of the season against the Nuggets who were playing without starters Jamal Murray (ankle) and Gary Harris (personal reasons). Mitchell scored just four points on 1-12 shooting, missed all six of his three-point attempts while committing four turnovers. Mitchell was defended by Nuggets forward Torrey Craig who stimied the All-Star guard throughout the evening. 

After the Jazz gave up a 27-1 run to end the third quarter and begin the fourth, reserve guard Jordan Clarkson came alive for the Jazz and turned in his best performance of the season. Clarkson scored 24 of his game-high 37 points in the fourth quarter and cut the Nuggets lead from 17 to just four, but the Jazz were unable to get over the hump. 

Jordan Clarkson can’t be stopped 😱

He has 22 PTS in the 4th QTR! pic.twitter.com/875HhgJ99g

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 31, 2020

Beyond their starting backcourt, the Nuggets were without forward Paul Millsap (knee contusion) and backup center Mason Plumlee (foot). Millsap has missed 14 straight games and there is no timetable for his return, likewise for Murray who has missed 10 straight games. The Nuggets will likely be shorthanded once again Wednesday night.

The Jazz, who should be well-rested after three days off will catch Denver on the second night of back to back games. The Nuggets host Damian Lillard and the Portland Trailblazers Tuesday night before flying to Salt Lake City. 

During the team’s recent losing streak, the Jazz have seen a dramatic drop in their defensive performance. Over the stretch, the Jazz a 120.4 defensive rating, third-worst in the NBA and ahead of only the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards. The rating is 13.1 points per 100 possessions below their ninth-ranked season average of 107.3. 

The @UtahJazz are 31-9 when holding teams to 120 points or fewer this season. They’re just 1-8 in games when opponents score 121 or more.https://t.co/go6Rl8LlZu

— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) February 3, 2020

The team’s offense hasn’t fared much better. After a stretch of nearly two months where the Jazz had the league’s best offense, the team has an offensive rating of just 110.4 over the last four games, good for 20th in the league. During the losing streak, the Jazz are 1.2 points per 100 possessions below their season average of 111.6, good for eighth league-wide. 

Point guard Mike Conley returned to the Jazz starting lineup Saturday night against the Trailblazers. Conley turned in a 22 point, four rebound, four assist game in 30 minutes in the 124-107 loss. The Jazz starters outscored the Nuggets by eight points despite the blowout loss, a promising sign for the veteran’s return.

The team struggled when any of their five starters were off the floor, an eerily similar issue to the one the team dealt with over the first two months of the season before trading Dante Exum for Clarkson and waiving forward Jeff Green. The Jazz have been without reserve center Tony Bradley over the last two games, a likely cause for some of the team’s struggles.

The game against the Nuggets will mark the final outing for the Jazz before the NBA’s Trade Deadline Thursday. While the Jazz appear set in their starting lineup and guard rotation, the team could look to add more defensive versatility off the bench to match up with more athletic forwards across the league.

The matchup was originally slated to be shown on ESPN with an 8 PM MST tip time but was changed in favor of the matchup between the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Clippers. The Jazz and Nuggets will tipoff at 7 PM MST on AT&T SportsNet.