Jazz Thump the Nuggets in SLC, 124-111: 3 Winners, 1 Loser

The Utah Jazz get an impressive win versus the Denver Nuggets on the national stage.

In a nationally televised game on ESPN, the Utah Jazz cruised to their third straight win as an underdog versus the Denver Nuggets, 124-111.  It wasn't a pretty performance for the Nuggets, who provided little resistance on defense all night. Utah had open looks from a long distance and finished the game, shooting 39% from the three-point line.

Jordan Clarkson led the Jazz with 27 points, while Lauri Markkanen chipped in 26. Utah continues to share the basketball, finishing the contest with 34 assists. The Nuggets are second in the league, averaging 28 assists a game, but the Jazz out-assisted their opponent, contributing to a win in the first game of a six-game homestand.

Let's take a look a the winners and losers of another big win for Utah.

John Collins-Winner

Collins has gotten some heat on the social media front about his net rating for the year, but let’s give credit where credit is due. Collins had a solid game against the champs and has been out of the red in his net rating for three straight games. He finished the game with 15 points on an efficient 6-for-10 shooting and a +12 net rating.

The chatter that Collins should relinquish his starting spot to Walker Kessler should be put to bed. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it, and as long as Utah continues its winning ways, the status quo should trump the analytics.

Denver on the Road-Loser

The Nuggets looked like they were going through the motions most of the night. It hasn’t been pretty for the World Champs playing on the road this year. The Nuggets dropped its ninth game of the year away from Denver while boasting a 15-4 record at home.

Incredibly, the Nuggets are 1-15 in their last 16 contests in Salt Lake City. If there was a team that could compete with the Jazz at the Delta Center, one would think it would be the Nuggets. Denver is the only team that plays in a higher altitude than Utah, but being used to the thin air hasn’t helped.

Will Hardy-Winner

Utah’s head coach deserves some credit for pushing all the right buttons over the last month. Whether it is Clarkson going back to the bench or inserting Kris Dunn into the starting lineup, it's all been clicking. It's been a small sample size, but could Hardy enter into the conversation of Coach of the Year if this keeps up?

Before it gets to that point, there's a long way to go, but it's not out of the realm of possibility. Hardy has led the Jazz to a 12-4 record in their last 16 games and, more impressively, against a plethora of teams that will be playing in the postseason this year.

Jordan Clarkson-Winner

You never know what you're going to get with Clarkson, but he was the best player on the floor tonight. He finished the game with 27 points on 12-for-19 shooting while also dishing out nine assists.

Is it too late for Clarkson to be considered for Sixth Man of the Year? From this point of view, it's not, and don't be surprised if he enters into that conversation if he keeps playing this way since being taken out of the starting lineup

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