Gordon Hayward's third quarter powers Jazz past Nuggets

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A 21-point third quarter and 32-point night from Gordon Hayward powered the Utah Jazz past the Denver Nuggets 105-98 in Salt Lake City as the Nuggets fell to 7-13 on the season.

Denver, who have now dropped five of their last six, looked to be packing things in after Hayward’s career quarter put Utah up  82-63 after three, but a 23-5 run by the Nuggets made things interesting late in the fourth.

However, the 19-point lead Utah built in the second half ultimately proved to be too much for Denver to overcome.

The first half of tonight’s game from Salt Lake City was competitive. Nine straight points from Wilson Chandler to close the first and start the second quarter laid the foundation for a 12-6 Nuggets run, which kept things interesting in the first two periods. A 9-2 Utah run closed the second quarter setting the table for what would be a game-changing third.

After getting embarrassed last night by Houston, the Nuggets played a competitive first half, especially on the defensive end. Denver got up into the Jazz, made them uncomfortable, but were out-rebounded 24-12 during those first two quarters.

This half-court affair rolled into the second half with an immediate 15-3 Utah run as the Nuggets looked to have their legs taken out from under them. Hayward was the catalyst for Utah in the third during a quarter which opened the game up for Utah.

The Jazz outscored the Nuggets 33-16 in the third alone, as Denver gradually turned their attention to the 76ers, who they play in Philadelphia Monday, or so it seemed

Denver brought things back in the fourth, going on a quick 12-0 run in the middle of the quarter to make things interesting. Jameer Nelson, who finished with 13 points on 5-8 shooting nd seven assists helped the Nuggets’ cause, but it was too little too late for the struggling Nuggets.

Elsewhere for Denver, Chandler again led the Nuggets offensively. The Sixth-Man of the Year candidate scored 20 points on 41 minutes. Besides Chandler, Will Barton, in his second game back from an ankle injry looked himself, scoring 20 points as well, on 8-15 shooting.

For Utah, Rodney Hood scored 15 points on just 4-14 shooting while Trey Lyle totaled 12 points off the bench.

Utah improved to 12-9 on the season.

Footnotes

Nikola Jokic (left wrist sprain) is expected to miss at least the next three games.

The Nuggets hope to get Gary Harris (right foot) back during this road trip but want him to practice before inserting him back into the lineup, according to the Denver Posts’ Christopher Dempsey. Practices will be hard to come by during this six-game roadie, however, as the Nuggets play those six games in just the next ten nights.

WHERE/WHEN

Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah | December 3, 2016

NUGGETS STAR OF THE GAME

Chandler, once again, was the catalyst for Denver. 20 points on 7-14 shooting in a team-high 41 minutes paced the Nuggets tonight.

BY THE NUMBERS

PLAYS OF THE GAME

Mudiay’s corner three

E for threeeeeeee!#Nuggets https://t.co/TCecVxPtRP

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) December 4, 2016

Gallinari’s and-1 through Gobert

Got 'em!#HereToCreate #Nuggets https://t.co/3BWHiqRxvj

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) December 4, 2016

Nurkic from range

Shot clock running down?

No problem for Nurk! #Nuggets https://t.co/v8ksupN086

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) December 4, 2016

Nelson tries to bring Denver back

From deep.#Nuggets https://t.co/OuOhN4djED

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) December 4, 2016

Nelson turns back the clocks

Spin cycle.
High off the glass!#Nuggets https://t.co/OjcY6fAuWS

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) December 4, 2016

WHAT’S NEXT

Denver’s next stop on their six-game road trip is across the country in Philadelphia. They’ll take on Joel Embiid and the 76ers Monday before playing in Brooklyn Wednesday.