Jazz Come Out Flat in Defeat to Nuggets, 142-121: Winners & Losers

A strong second half wasn't nearly enough for the Utah Jazz.

The Utah Jazz traveled to the Mile High City and were defeated soundly by the Denver Nuggets 142-127 in Saturday night's showdown. The score is misleading, considering the Jazz tallied 44 points in the third quarter alone yet found nearly 20 points behind at the final buzzer. 

The night's story was Nuggets guard Jamal "Bubble" Murray, who poured in a game-high 37 points with seven assists. This loss was expected against the defending champions, but give credit to the Jazz for not surrendering any flags that would signal defeat.

Let's review our game-time winners and losers from the Jazz Nuggets contest.

Keyonte George | Winner

The rookie continues to prove he was vastly underestimated in his draft class and why several general managers and/or player personnel staff in the NBA do not understand the proper evaluation of players. I know many are thinking about the hindsight 20/20 theory, but there is no way he should have slipped to the 16th selection. 

If you evaluate where he attended high school and his performance at Baylor as a freshman, it's pretty clear that 15 players in his draft class are not better than this young phenom. And against the Nuggets, he poured in 27 points, dished out six assists, corralled five boards, shot 59% from the field, and made five treys on eight attempts. 

Whether the Jazz considers him a point or shooting guard, they should be regarded as the best drafting organization in 2023 after landing George, Taylor Hendricks, and Brice Sensabaugh.

Kris Dunn | Loser

There may be several reasons for Dunn's individual collapse against the Nuggets, but he was not into his custom deluxe package for this contest. In 15 minutes, he scored zero points, committed four fouls, dropped one dime, grabbed a single rebound, and registered a -22 game rating. 

Has anyone ever heard "when it rains, it pours"? Well, it's safe to assume this theory haunted Dunn last night in Colorado. Dunn has been steady and reliable most of the season, most nights, just not last night. We should expect a better performance when the Jazz retake the floor for their next contest.

The Nuggets | Winner

The defending champs did not have a letdown against an undermanned and injury-riddled Jazz team, and as mentioned earlier, guard "Bubble" Murray tossed in 37 points. As we know, this team is stacked with talent and, barring injury, will repeat as champions this year. 

Even more impressive about last night's game was every Nugget who received playing time, which totaled 14, all recorded positive game ratings. Process that thought for a moment. No player registered negatively while competing in an NBA basketball game. This is a rare feat and should be evaluated as a commendable job by the Nuggets organization.

Walker Kessler | Loser

Kessler did have a bright spot by grabbing 11 rebounds but shot a lowly 33% from the field and was -19 for the game. Sure, he battled the best center in the world, but he's paid to handle his business. 

He was awarded 25 game minutes and must cringe when he sees a -19 for the night. He has experienced struggles, and maybe he will get back on track to close the season.

The Jazz will return home to SLC to prepare for the Boston Celtics to be played on Tuesday night at the Delta Center. Jazz executive Danny Ainge will be revved up for this battle as he tries to defeat his former team.

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